Beacon University
by ReasonableName
Summary: Join Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos as they grow and find themselves in what they hope to be the best time of their life- college. "The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes. But don't be afraid."
1. Beginnings

**Hi! I'm writing a college AU for RWBY! Yay! This fic will center around Pyrrha and Jaune as take on every teenagers greatest friend and greatest enemy: College. BTW- keep in mind, this is an AU. The characters will be canon in some aspects, but for the majority of the time, they're gonna be somewhat OOC. If you can get past that, you'll enjoy the Arkos.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

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><p><strong><em>"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while… you could miss it."<em>**

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><p>Jaune Arc let his head bang against the cold glass window of his father's black SUV. His eyes were locked onto the blurred road, a passing car disrupting the seemingly relaxing sight every so often. The sky was covered by thick, dark sheets of grey clouds. The pitter patter of the rain and squeaks of the windshield wipers could be heard, but only faintly over the loud samba music on the radio that filled the interior of the car. The song finally ended, but, to Jaune's dismay, another samba song began to play right after. He let out a loud sigh; the burning feeling of anxiety that sat in the pit of his stomach would not go away. He knew that eventually he and his dad would reach their destination, and he couldn't tell whether he wanted to get there right now or not at all. He reached for the tuning dial, but his dad playfully swatted his hand away.<p>

"C'mon, boy! You know you can't mess with my samba!" his father shouted over the music, using the hand he swatted Jaune with to do a little dance. "Aye! Aye! Aye!" his dad shouted, pretending he had maracas of his own. Jaune groaned loudly.

"Dad! This shit is _AWFUL_! Why aren't we listening to what we usually do?!" Jaune argued, opening the center console and selecting one of the many CD's. The CD gel featured a man that looked to be transforming into some sort of insect, the word "_Chimaira_" across the bottom. "Can we please put this in? I forgot my ePod in my suitcase!"

"Negative, boy!" Jaune's father tapped along with the rhythm, grinning as he successfully annoyed the living hell out of his son. Jaune could only roll his eyes and smile; somehow, his dad managed to be a bigger dork than he was. As the song ended, Jaune's dad stopped doing his little dance and decided to turn down the radio for a bit. He glanced over to his son, whose head was now back to its original position on the glass. His mood took a slight plummet as he saw the blank expression Jaune wore, his parental instincts kicking in and instantly he changed from "friend" mode to "father" mode. "Something on your mind?" he asked cautiously as his hands grasped the steering wheel.

"W-what? No, no," was all Jaune could manage as he tried to hide his obviously nervous tone. "Just thinkin'."

"About what? You don't have to be scared, Jaune. You know we only live an hour away, and I can come and get you at any time."

"Dad, I said nothing was wrong."

"Well you're a terrible liar."

_"Well you're a terrible liar, and I'm a big ol' bitch,"_ mocked Jaune playfully in a deep tone, a slight grin forming on his face as he sat up against the leather seat. "Look, I guess I'm sorta nervous. This school is one of the top schools in the nation… what if I fail, or something?" Jaune's smile soon turned to a worried expression, looking down at the glove compartment. He wasn't wrong- Beacon University was known for its prestigious academic programs. Not to mention, almost every sports team the University had to offer were Division 1. It was nearly impossible to make a team. Only the best of the best were accepted into the programs, but Jaune did the impossible by making his way onto the D1 wrestling team, earning many scholarships in doing so. His father was only paying for a fraction of the amount he would normally have to due to his son's excellence in the sport; that being said, he was only average when it came to the books and studies. The thought of seeing an F on his transcript worried him immensely.

"Nonsense. Jaune, you're the hardest working bo-," his father stopped mid-sentence, clearing his throat, "_man_ I know. You've already surpassed me in academics… and you're only going to get better. Just know that while I hope you maintain good grades and do well in your tournaments, no matter what happens I'll support you." His father placed a reassuring hand on Jaune's shoulder, feeling his son relax a little bit.

"A-Alright pops, thanks," Jaune replied, a bit surprised by his fathers words. Ever since his mother left the picture, Jaune and his father had developed more of a best friend relationship rather than a father-son relationship. They swore at each other, fought, even drank together. To hear his father go into, well, "father" mode from time to time was awkward. Only in times of complete seriousness did it happen, and Jaune was pretty grateful for it.

"Have you talked to your mom?" Jaune's father suddenly asked, the tone of his voice a bit more stern than before.

"Nope."

"You didn't tell her you left?"

"Why the _fuck_ should I have?" Jaune bitterly shot back, crossing his arms. "A phone works both ways. If she gave a shit, she would have asked." Jaune's father knew he was walking on hot coals at this point and dropped it. Today was a day to be celebrated. He knew that if he pushed the issue any further, Jaune would probably snap out of anger like he had so many times before. He didn't want to spoil the mood, so he decided to change the subject.

"Well, alright. That's fine, I was just asking. Anyway, you said Sun was your roommate?" Jaune took a deep breath, relieved that his father was never too persistent when it came to sore subjects.

"Yeah, he is. Thank God. I wouldn't be able to deal with someone random," Jaune answered, arching his back in a stretch, "Everyone said it was a bad idea and 'I'd start to hate him', but that's bull. He's my best friend, and if something comes up we'll squash it." Jaune's father nodded in agreement, flicking his blinker on as he carefully changed lanes. He ignored the blaring horn behind him, and continued the conversation.

"I like that boy. Did he make the track team like he wanted?"

"Yep, he did!" Jaune replied happily, "He was so pumped when he found out. Full ride and everything, lucky faunus bastard."

"Well, that's good. I think you guys are gonna have a great semester." With that, Jaune's dad turned the radio back on and flipped through the radio stations until he heard a familiar song- "To Plant A Seed" by _We Came As Romans_. The two sat in silence as the song played out, tapping along with the drums. Thinking about what his father had said while he listened to the song, Jaune's confidence about college boosted; the song just happened to be one of his favorite metal songs, which melted his fear as a feeling of excitement began to grow.

"Remember," Jaune's father said suddenly, "if you find a girl, be confident, but also be a gentleman. However, if you're gay…" Jaune immediately punched his dad in the side, causing him to let out a "oof!"

"Shut the hell up." Jaune smiled at his father as they continued to sit in silence, eventually passing a sign that read "Beacon University: Exit 24A."

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><p><em>"My future started with the first note that I ever played, the first note that was ev-ver saa-ang." <em>

One of Pyrrha Nikos' favorite songs was on the radio as she and her parents as sat in traffic off of exit 24A. Pyrrha looked out of her rain-covered backseat window at the display of bright red taillights, refracting in the droplets of water that ran down the glass. The traffic only heightened the suspense- she couldn't contain her excitement as their car moved inches upon inches closer to her #1 school choice. Actually, every single school she applied to accepted her- her application was one of the best any school recruiter had ever seen. She was the valedictorian of her high school class and, paired with the countless extracurriculars and volunteering hours, she got in to each and every institution with no problems. She received so many scholarships that she actually made a profit; her parents didn't need to pay a cent. The school itself did not have an official program for her sport of choice, so she prayed on multiple occasions that there would be a club team for it.

"Honey, this music is… a bit scary," her mother, Alexandra, stated from the passenger seat.

"Your mother's right," her father, Phelix, added from the drivers seat. "How can you listen to such devilish music? Jesus, such terrible, terrible taste." She didn't know why, but whenever someone insulted her favorite music genre Pyrrha became somewhat offended. Angry, even.

"It's _NOT_ devilish, father! The lyrics have deep meaning, not to mention it gets me prepared for fights!" Pyrrha argued, resting her head against the window as the song ended. Phelix looked into the rearview mirror, catching Pyrrha's green eyes in his own. He frowned, causing his daughter to avert her gaze. While he loved that she was an MMA fighter, but he wasn't satisfied with where she was within it. Sure, she was a good enough fighter to compete in the men's division, but that didn't impress him. Until she was a champion, he wouldn't see her as anything but immature and undisciplined. She needed to get her act together, if she was to ever amount to anything. He eventually returned his eyes to the road, honking the horn loudly at the black SUV that just cut him off.

A new song came on, and Pyrrha's face instantly brightened as the first verse of screaming vocals came on. She began to bob her head, losing herself in the calamity.

"Don't you think that boy, oh who is it, Justin Beaver? Isn't he good?" Alexandra asked politely, leaning back and turning to face her daughter as she turned the music down.

"NO!" Pyrrha screeched, jerking her body into an upright position. "AND TURN THAT BACK UP!" Her mother chuckled as she was met with her daughter's rare smile.

"Well, no matter, perhaps those roommates of yours can change your taste," Phelix said calmly, pressing on the gas pedal to move another three yards before halting the sedan once again.

"Yang likes metal too!" Pyrrha defended, "She prefers electro and dance, but she and I listen to metal all the time together when we train! I don't know what the other two like, we only talked once when deciding who would bring what," Pyrrha continued, vehement that, even after all these years, they still didn't approve or even accept her choices in music. "Even so, I doubt they'll have any influence."

"Whatever you say. Now, remember what we agreed to grade wise?" Even though the topic changed, Pyrrha was still fuming. All her dad did was toss her opinion to the side, and it drove her nuts. Also, the subject of grades was always a sore one in the Nikos household.

"Straight A's …. with the exception of only one B+," Pyrrha muttered the last part, hoping her parent's wouldn't catch on. One could say her parents were… strict, when it came to both her grades and her fights. Her father more than her mother; her mother supported her in every way possible. Pyrrha could end up homeless and her mother would still accept her with open arms. Her father, however… Pyrrha let loose a weak smile as her father's furrowed brow turned and met her.

"I didn't catch that last part. What did you say?" The venom in his words sent shivers down her spine.

"I-I said straight A's, Daddy," Pyrrha stammered, sinking into her seat. Her father turned back around to the road, his cold voice still ringing in Pyrrha's ears.

"Good, that's what I thought. If you get a B+, don't bother coming home." The next few moments were silent; no one was ready to speak just yet. Eventually Phelix was the one who broke the silence, "Now, did you memorize the training schedule I gave you?" Despite his seemingly upbeat tone, Pyrrha saw through his facade. She had gone through this countless times, and knew that all it took was one wrong answer for the man to revert to his cold, unforgiving self. While he couldn't be bothered to show up for her 16th birthday party, when it came to her training nothing took priority. In a way, she was grateful. It was some form of him caring, although his brutal workouts would surely put most Olympians to shame.

"It's packed away, the exact one you wrote for me Daddy. I won't miss a day, I promise," Pyrrha said in her best voice, hoping to impress her father. Her efforts were, per the usual, in vain.

"I know you won't. The Regional tournament is coming. If you don't place first-"

"That's enough, Phelix. Can't you lighten up for ONCE!?" Alexandra cut the man off short, and Phelix's stone faced expression stared angrily ahead in silence. Pyrrha slouched into her seat, taking out her ePod as her parents began arguing. She plugged her earbuds in, and began playing the song she always went to when her father's lazy heart put her through hell. "Broken Angel," by Boyce Avenue.

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><p><strong><em>"Still you try to impress him, but he never will listen."<em>**

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><p><strong>So, yeah. If you like it, give it a follow. I'll update when I can. <strong>

**See you in the next chapter.**


	2. Issues

**So, I got some super awesome feedback on the first chapter. I figured I'd post a new chapter in appreciation. This won't be a regular thing, expect longer gaps in between, but this chapter was basically done so why wait.**

**Quick side note: The "intro" portion of this bitch should wrap up around chapter 5, possibly 4. Might as well establish a sturdy base, right? No? Okay sorry.**

**Hope you enjoy CH2.**

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><p><em><strong>"We've all been broken, so let us make each other new."<strong>_

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><p>Pyrrha was the first to arrive at the dorm room. It was a "quad," and so housed four students; it featured a common room in the middle of the two bedrooms on either side. The only downside was there was no private bathroom, only one used for the entire hall. Still, it was a small price to pay for their generous living space.<p>

When Pyrrha's best friend, Yang Xiao Long, first told her that they'd be attending the same school they both screamed in excitement, sharing an extremely awkward "jump hug" in the middle of Pyrrha's living room. Instantly, they knew they would have to be roommates. While Pyrrha wanted it to be just them, Yang warned that typical double rooms were kind of cramped, and she didn't want to feel like she was in a prison cell. She then suggested they try an open quad dorm, and Pyrrha agreed; to find two other freshman roommates, they looked for incoming freshmen on FaceNovel as well as posting on every "Beacon University" page they could. After a couple of weeks, they found two girls who said they'd be happy to room with them.

The four then requested a quad within the University's housing application system and luckily, one was still available. When they received notice their room was all set, the new roommates spoke briefly in an online chat to figure out who would bring what so nothing was brought unnecessarily.

The vibrant redhead estimated that the quad was equal to the size of around 4 or 5 of the regular "double" rooms that made up the rest of the hall. She was more than happy with it- the common room came with two couches, a coffee table and various shelves and bookcases to put things on. It had multiple windows to allow the summer breeze to roll in easily, and even the bedrooms themselves were slightly bigger than the common double. The room was on the second floor of the four floor brick building, which was fantastic since the building lacked elevators. Trudging up four flights of stairs with all of her luggage in tow would not have been as bad as a typical day in the gym, but it still would have been annoying.

She walked towards the bedroom on the left, surprised to see someone else's bags upon entering. The suitcases were vibrant yellow and one of the beds was already made, a yellow comforter on top of black sheets. In the middle of the other bed lay a small paper with a note scribbled on it. Pyrrha walked over and picked it up, recognizing the messy handwriting instantly.

_"Hey, Pyr! I'm only assuming you're the one reading this… if not, tell Pyr to take this bed! I already call the left bed, unless we wanna bunk these bitches! Then I call top! If I'm not already back, I went to get food with my parents and Ruby- I'll be back soon!"_ Pyrrha smiled as she folded the note up and placed it back onto the sheet-less mattress. Her mother walked through the door, carefully placing a few more bags by Pyrrha's bed.

"This place is huge!" she excitedly pointed out, spinning around to get a view of the whole room.

"That's why we wanted the quad so bad! Can you imagine Yang being confined to a room smaller than this one!?" Pyrrha and her mother chuckled at the thought of it.

"Her eyes would probably turn red and everything would explode. Oh my, your friend is quite the character," Alexandra answered, smiling at Pyrrha. A loud thud came from the common room, and the two women walked out to investigate. The large LED television Pyrrha decided to bring sat on top of the coffee table. Pyrrha's father stood at the window, hands in his pockets as he stared at the light rain outside. He glanced over at them, then turned and walked out without a word.

"Why did he even come?" Pyrrha sighed.

"He cares about you dear. He just has a hard time showing it," Alexandra comforted, stroking Pyrrha's long ponytail.

"Whatever." Pyrrha walked forward, exhaling slightly as she lifted the TV and placing it on a shelf in front of the coffee table. She just wanted to get her mind off the subject. She appreciated what her mom was trying to do, but the sooner her parents left, the better. A knock at the door interrupted her train of thought, and she turned to greet who she assumed was one of her roommates as the door opened. The girl at the door poked her head in hesitantly.

"Excuse me." The girls long, stark white hair was breathtaking, complemented by the ivory sundress she wore. In each hand she held a suitcase, large black snowflakes printed on the sides. She looked at Pyrrha and smiled, placing down her luggage and holding out her hand. "Hello there! You're Pyrrha, right? I'm Weiss Schnee."

Weiss' formal greeting was lost on Pyrrha, who opted to bypass her outstretched hand and embrace Weiss in a tight hug. The greeting was something Pyrrha, Yang, and Ruby all did naturally. "Weiss! It's so great to finally meet you in person!"

"Y-Yes, nice to meet you as well," Weiss stammered, hesitantly returning the embrace. The two separated and Weiss then turned and curtsied to Alexandra. "Mrs. Nikos, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"My, the manners on this one! She could teach Yang a thing or two, no doubt! But I'm also all about the hugs, so come here!" Alexandra brought the pale girl into her second embrace of the day. The two parted as Weiss' parents walked in, carrying the rest of the girl's luggage.

"Jesus Christ, Weiss, did you pack bricks?" her father grunted, unaware of Pyrrha and Alexandra. His eyes widened in embarrassment at the sight of them, and quickly put the bags down on the floor. After hastily adjusting his tie and hair he straightened his posture, flashing a cheery smile as he stuck out his hand. "Please, excuse my language. I'm Weiss' father, Robert Schnee." He gestured towards the white haired woman walking in behind him. "And this is my wife, Victoria."

The woman placed the bins she was carrying down and patted her suit jacket down, ridding it of any dust. She held her hand out daintily, "Nice to meet you both. Weiss has spoken so much about you, Pyrrha. She's quite jubilant about being your roommate."

"Mom! Please, stop!" Weiss begged, blushing slightly as Pyrrha smiled.

"It's okay Weiss. Yang and I are very eager to get to know you! We already took the bedroom on the left, so you'll share the other room with Blake. If that's okay?"

"That sounds great! Daddy do you mind carrying my things?" She pouted cutely, batting her pale blue eyes at him. He sighed, grinning at how she always knew how to get to him.

"Fine, fine." he chuckled. "Anything for you, Cupcake. While I do that, why don't you go talk to Pyrrha? Get to know her better. Your mother and I will bring your things to the room." With that, he began taking Weiss' bags to her room, handling each with care so as not to break anything. Pyrrha's mother turned to Pyrrha as they watched.

"I'll be right back dear. I'm going to go get your father," Alexandra left the room and headed outside to find Phelix, knowing he wasn't bringing up any more luggage. There was none left.

"So, Pyrrha," Weiss said as she placed herself on one of the couches. "We didn't really get to talk online. What are you majoring in?" Pyrrha took a seat next to her new friend.

"I'm going to try and get into the Kinesiology program, and major in either sports marketing or physical therapy. I'm still not sure." Pyrrha brought her hand to her chin. "What about you?"

"Business," Weiss stated plainly, "not the most interesting subject… but, Daddy encouraged me." Pyrrha cringed internally when she heard this. Hopefully, Weiss' father had a different method of "encouragement."

"Well, it must be for a good reason. Your father seems like a great man." she complimented. Despite herself, Pyrrha couldn't help but envy the positive relationship Weiss and her father seemed to share. Weiss gave Pyrrha a wide smile.

"He's my role model. I just want to make him proud." Weiss tilted her head in curiousity, a single finger on her chin. "So, anything you like to do for fun?" Pyrrha shook the thoughts of her father out of her mind, trying to focus on Weiss' question.

"Y-Yeah! I fight MMA. Y'know... the tournaments and stuff? That, and I Crosstrain. What about you? Do you play any sports or anything?"

Weiss thought for a second, then grinned sheepishly. "No, not really. Oh! Unless you count fencing? I was planning on joining Beacon's club team. Nothing else physical except for that, but I do sing!" Pyrrha perked up a little at this. She sang around Yang and Ruby sometimes, and they both claimed she was amazing. Perhaps Weiss could listen to her and be the judge. Some other time, though. Before Pyrrha could ask, Weiss' father appeared in the doorway of Weiss' shared room.

"Weiss, honey! Your mother and I really must be off. We have a meeting we can't afford to miss." Robert and Victoria walked briskly over to their daughter, who stood and curtsied to her parents.

"Of course, Daddy. Have a safe trip." She then launched herself forward to hug her father, who gave a hearty laugh and stroked Weiss' head gently. He kissed her forehead and tightened his embrace.

"Oh, Weiss. I'm going to miss you so much. Please, behave. I am expecting to see some good grades this semester!"

"I will, Daddy. Don't worry! I won't let you down!" She gave her father a quick peck on the cheek as she teared up, then brought her mother into the same warm embrace.

"I'm going to miss you too baby," Victoria said, hiding her teary eyes behind her designer sunglasses, "Do your best! We are so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Mama." Weiss gave her mother a kiss, and with that Weiss' parents gave Pyrrha a wave before leaving the room. Weiss sniffled a little bit, before clearing her throat a bit and letting her eyes explore the room. She gazed upon the massive television in the room in excitement, visions of late night movie marathons with her new friends playing in her head.

"Hey, Pyrrha, I brought th-" Weiss turned to face Pyrrha, only to be met by an empty couch. From the corner of her eye, she could see the door to Pyrrha's room slam shut.

"Is she okay?" A new voice asked as it entered the room. Weiss turned around and her eyes met with the brilliant amber ones of the girl standing before her. "I saw her run to that room when I entered. Did I do something wrong?" The girl had a black bow on top of her head, and wore a black t-shirt over some short purple shorts.

"I don't believe so…" Weiss answered, puzzled as to why Pyrrha would rush to her room so suddenly. "I'm Weiss by the way. We talked online!"

"Blake," the dark-haired girl answered. Loud footsteps came from the hall, and a tall man walked inside carrying large plastic containers. Small horns protruded out from under his messy red hair, and his eyes here hidden under a pair of large red and white glasses. "This is Adam, my boyfriend. He's a sophomore here." Adam looked over at Weiss, giving her a slight nod. He placed the containers down, and whispered to Blake before leaving.

"Oh! N-nice to meet you!" Weiss cried after Adam. Blake laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Sorry about that... he's not too amiable when you first meet him." Weiss pointed at her forehead, grinning.

"Is it because he's a faunus? I noticed the horns." Seeing how uncomfortable Blake got by her statement, Weiss shook her hand in front of her. "No, no, no! I'm not saying that in a bad way! I don't have anything against faunus. I think it's really brave and cute for you two to be dating! I totally respect it!" Weiss sighed in relief when she saw the tension leave Blake.

"So, is it hard being a human dating a faunus?"

Blake hesitated for a second, looking away as she touched her bow gingerly. Weiss didn't notice the gesture.

"Uh... not really. Adam is pretty intimidating and strong, so most people don't give us problems," Blake looked back up at Weiss, surprised to see her with her hands on her face, swooning.

"It's so romantic. Throwing away social norms for love." Blake smiled, surprised she was lucky enough to be rooming with someone so tolerant.

"Th-Thanks, Weiss. I really appreciate it." Weiss composed herself, and pointed towards their room.

"Anyways, Pyrrha and Yang already set themselves up, so we'll be sharing that room over there. Here, I'll help you carry your stuff."

Weiss picked up some containers, and they continued to chat as they walked to their room.

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><p>Pyrrha sat on her bed, gritting her teeth angrily at the jealousy burning in her chest. Weiss had done nothing wrong, but Pyrrha couldn't help but feel a little contempt towards her. She despised the feeling, and punched her mattress in frustration. She resisted the urge to scream as she reread the text message displayed on her phone. The tapping of the rain on her window echoed through the silent room. A single tear fell from her face and she punched the bed again, rattling the frame. As she read the message again, her vision began to blur as her eyes welled.<p>

_"Your father doesn't want to go up, and threatened to leave without me. I'm so sorry sweetheart, I love you so much. Please stay in touch, he loves you, don't let this affect you. Good luck in classes, we're so proud of you."_

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><p><em><strong>"Dear father, forgive me. 'Cause in your eyes, I just never added up. In my heart I know I failed you, but you left me here alone."<strong>_

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><p><strong>I swear, the story gets happier. I promise. I cross my heart. <strong>

**So, an added token of my appreciation: Next chapter we get a look at Sun and Jaune's dynamics, and how exactly they came to be.**

**See you in the next chapter.**


	3. The Pride

**'Sup. As you may have noticed, I have a custom made cover photo now, thanks to my co-writer Depresdmustache. Check out his deviantart profile at "DepresdMustache118." He'll be posting quick pics of scenes every now and then; but if you write a review, send some kind words (or hateful idc) his way. This is NOT a one man effort.**

**Anyway, here's Ch3 to BU. Another note will be at the end, with some... more crap in bold.**

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><p><em><strong>"If only you could find the strength to kill the memories."<strong>_

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><p>Jaune stepped back to admire the "Attack on Titan" wall scroll hung above the television, which sat on a stand. On one of the stands shelves sat Jaune's Xbone. The sleek black gaming console was brand new, but already covered in all sorts of stickers featuring anime characters and even the "Achieve Men" logo. He looked over at Sun, who was emptying his clothes into the closet. Sun's parents had just left, sticking around for a few minutes to chat with Jaune's dad. This stuck the three with most of the remaining work.<p>

"Typical monkey faunus…" Mr. Arc teased as he shook his head in mock disgust. Sun smiled brightly and chuckled at the joke.

After they bunked the two beds to maximize living space, Mr. Arc and Sun built the futon Sun brought while Jaune worked on setting up all electrical devices. Though the room was fairly small, the arrangement they had made it feel spacious and relaxing.

"I gotta say, Jaune. That might be the gayest thing I've seen," Jaune's father said as he lounged on the futon, pointing to the anime poster.

"I agree with you, Mr. Arc," Sun said as he sat on the top bunk. "That's super gay."

"Sun, I've told you a million times. Call me Greg." Jaune rolled his eyes as the two berated his favorite poster.

"Sun, why don't you decorate your wall? Oh, wait, did you leave all the pictures of naked guys and bananas at home?" Jaune shot back, smiling. Greg burst into laughter, pointing at Sun.

"Damn, he got you pretty good man. You should kick his ass."

"He couldn't even if he tried," Jaune boasted confidently, crossing his arms.

"You wanna bet, bitch?" Sun dropped to the floor, his white unbuttoned dress shirt revealing a pretty lean physique. He had a muscular build to be sure, but Jaune was way bigger. Plus, while Sun was a black belt in Taekwondo, he knew that Jaune's skills as a wrestler far outmatched his abilities as a martial artist. If Jaune brought him to the ground, it'd be over. Also, nunchucks were not allowed on campus, and those were the only instruments that Sun could use if he wanted to stand a chance. Still, he wasn't going to let Jaune know that. "You only won last time because I was sore from track."

"Sore from track? Or your boyfriend?" Jaune shot back, backing a few feet away from his best friend. Jaune was on a roll with the jokes- but he never spoke like this around anyone other than his father or Sun.

Greg smiled and looked towards Jaune, who was bent at the knees and looked like he was ready to pounce. "Well, how about a friendly rematch?" Greg asked, moving the small wooden table away from the middle of the carpeted floor. "Winner gets 5 bucks. No submissions, pinning only," he looked to Jaune who frowned, knowing his son would try to make Sun tap out. A smile grew on Sun's face, knowing he now had a way better shot.

"Also… Jaune, you can only use one arm," Greg announced, causing Jaune to stand up straight, arms held out in front as Sun bounced in excitement.

"That's bullshit! He has a TAIL, that's basically a third arm! How com-"

"One arm or you forfeit. Sun doesn't wrestle and you excel at it- this only makes it fair," Greg reasoned, getting in between the two boys. "Now, are you gonna take the loss, or are we gonna have a match?"

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><p>Sun and Jaune fist-bumped in the middle of the makeshift ring, then took a few steps back from each other. Jaune's left arm was tied to one of the belt loops on his jeans, making sure he wouldn't use it. Sun rolled his neck and got into a low stance, mimicking his friend. Greg raised his hand, looking at both boys.<p>

"Ready? Go!" As Greg dropped his hand, Jaune immediately lunged for Sun's left ankle. Sun jumped away swiftly, his superior speed helping him to just barely evade the attack. Sun got back into a solid stance as Jaune slowly crept towards him on one knee. When Jaune was close enough to Sun, he carefully came to his feet. His arm raised in front of him, Jaune began to reach out and tap Sun's forehead repeatedly. Sun slapped Jaune's hand away, but Jaune persisted.

"Cut the shit!" Sun roared as he raised his arms to tackle Jaune. Jaune's eyes flashed as he saw his opportunity. In an instant, he shot forward and hooked his hand around the back of Sun's neck, ducking his head under Sun's right arm. In the same motion, Jaune used Sun's own momentum to pull him to the floor, tugging down on Sun's neck as he spun around him. Before Sun hit the floor, Jaune stuck his right leg behind Sun's left, hooking it and tripping Sun to his back. Sun let loose a string of curses and obscenities as he fell, grunting as he slammed onto his back. The air knocked from him, Sun could barely fight back as Jaune scooped his head and right arm, lifting them up as he dug his chin into Sun's side to make sure both shoulders were pinned. Greg dropped to his knees, taking a quick look before hitting the ground.

"WE HAVE A WINNER!" Greg cried, helping the boys up to their feet. He held his son's free arm up high, then immediately twisted and held it behind his back.

"Hey! What the hell!?" Jaune yelped, looking back at his father as he tried to break free.

"Sun, now's your chance!" Jaune watched helplessly as Sun's fist sped towards his stomach. He tensed his abs against the impending blow, but in this position he was no match for Sun's martial arts. He grunted as the punch connected, dropping to the floor as his dad let him free. Jaune rubbed his now surely bruised abs as his father untied his other hand. '_If only I had a forcefield, or something._' Jaune thought to himself as he rubbed his stomach.

"You ass…" Jaune managed, flexing the pain away, "I guess I deserved it for being a cocky bastard, but seriously? Full force?" He stuck his hand out towards Sun, who grabbed it and helped him to his feet. "You owe me 10 bucks now, bitch."

Sun grinned ear to ear, "Totally worth it. Thanks, Greg."

"No problem!" Greg laughed, retaking his seat on the futon. He looked over at Jaune and smiled. "Now I hope you learned a valuable lesson, boy!" Jaune stood there, still rubbing his abs.

"A lesson? Like, what? Never trust a faunus? Or that my dad's a complete and utter-?"

"No need to finish, it's the second one, for sure." Sun and Jaune laughed loudly at Greg's joke.

The monkey-faunus stretched a little bit as the laughter died down, wiping his sweaty brow. "But hey Jaune, isn't freshman orientation soon? We should probably head to… wherever it is." As if it were scripted, a loud knocking on the door startled the trio.

"R-A!" a rather shaky voice yelled, "FRESHMAN ORIENTATION IS AT GAMPEL BUILDING IN 15 MINUTES! HEAD OVER NOW, THE RAIN STOPPED!"

"Well, that answers that question, boys." Greg stood up from the futon and spread his arms wide. "Guess that's my cue to leave." Jaune's heart sank as the realization that his dad had to leave settled in. Sure, he had Sun, but Jaune had never been apart from his dad for an extended period of time. Jaune accepted his father's embrace, burying his the side of his face into the taller man's chest. They held onto the moment for a second too long, then Greg held his boy out at arm's length.

"I know I say it all the time, but you don't understand how proud I am of you, Jaune. You came a long way. You're going to great. Just remember to try your best, and the results will come." He embraced Jaune once again, "I love you, Jaune."

"Love you too, dad."

Greg released, wiping what Jaune suspected was a tear from his eye before turning to Sun. "Sun, my boy, look after this idiot. If he gets into trouble, just call me. I'm sure I can do something to punish him, even if it's long distance."

"Will do, Greg." Sun grinned glancing over at Jaune. He went over and took Greg's hand, bringing him into a hug. They gave each other a few pats on the back, then Greg let go and walked to the door. Halfway out, he hesitated for a split second. He turned to the boys one last time, and flashed a smile.

"Remember, boys. If you're gay…" His sentence was interrupted by a light punch to the gut.

"Get outta here, pops. I'll see ya soon." Jaune fist-bumped his father and returned back to Sun, hearing the click of the door behind him. Jaune exhaled, letting out a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes and composed himself.

"You good?" Sun asked, pulling his sneakers on.

"Y-Yeah. I'm great." Jaune turned around and smiled, thinking of his fathers words.

* * *

><p>The walk to Gampel was longer than either of the boys expected. The map the school provided on their website was rather deceptive; the campus was incredibly massive. Along the way, Jaune tripped a total of three times, which according to Sun was an all time high.<p>

"Man, how big IS this school?" marveled Sun as they walked, meshing with the growing crowd of what they presumed to be fellow freshman on their way to orientation. They all flowed towards a large, circular brick building, its giant white domed ceiling resembling a humongous basketball. While they walked, Jaune and Sun talked about some more possible room arrangements. Mid sentence, Sun suddenly jumped in surprise as he felt a tug on his tail.

'_WHO THE FUC-_'

"Whoa, whoa there! Can I help you?!" Sun cried, turning to face the moron bold enough to grab his tail. The girl behind him let go of his tail, her sky blue eyes gazing at him under her short orange hair. The cartoon sloth on her light blue hoodie gave Sun the same look, and he looked at her in confusion. She bounced in place silently for a few more seconds, then spoke up.

"Hello, Mr. monkey-man! I like your tail!" she shouted happily. She paused, then gasped as her eyes went wide. "You know who'd love this!?" She suddenly bolted off into the crowd, disappearing into the horde of bodies while she cried, "Brrraw! Brrraw!"

"Jesus ever-loving Christ, what was _THAT_!?" Jaune asked, laughing as Sun stood frozen, confusion plastered on his face as his roommate as he gave him a slap on the back.

"U-uh, I don't know. Usually, I like when chicks dig the tail. Right now? Not so much." Sun tried to laugh it off, but choked on it when the girl reappeared, now accompanied by and oriental boy. The boy sported a green windbreaker with some khaki shorts, and look he wore was a cross between fatigue and indifference.

"I'm assuming you two are the ones Nora is making such a scene over?" the boy asked, looking at Sun and Jaune, "Yeah, I apologize. She had coffee this morning, and is much more hyper than usual. She didn't offend you, did she?" The boy spoke with eloquence, his hands behind his back as he addressed the faunus boy.

"N-No, she didn't. It's cool, man." Sun ran his fingers nervously through his hair, inching away from the one dubbed "Nora" as she crept ever closer to his tail.

"NORA!" the boy in green chided, making the girl stand at attention. He looked over at Nora, making sure she was under control, then reached his hand out. "Lie Ren, but everyone calls me Ren."

"Sun WuKong."

"Jaune Arc."

"Wait… Jaune Arc? I swear I've heard that name… think I've seen you in the paper; you're a wrestler, aren't you?" Jaune's mouth curled into a slight smirk and raised an eyebrow as the teen continued, "There was something in there about an incoming freshman making the wrestling team, a first in BU history. Is that you?" Ren's eyes held a tinge of excitement despite himself, and the more he spoke the more people around began to take notice. They looked at Jaune with curiosity, murmurs of his appearances in the papers and his wrestling achievements moving through the crowd.

"Yep, that's me," Jaune answered bluntly, hands behind his head. "It's not a big deal, really. I'm just glad to be here." If there was one thing his father taught him, it would be to '_man up to your accomplishments, as well as your defeats. However, be modest. No one likes cocky people_.'

"OH. MY. GOD. Ren! We just made friends with a _CELEBRITY_!" Nora cheered, jumping up to Jaune.

"I-I wouldn't say I'm THAT special," Jaune remarked, hands out in front, "I-I'm just, y'know, a guy. I tried my best and it worked out." Jaune tried to play down his accomplishment, but it wasn't really working. At that moment the doors to Gampel opened, allowing the freshman class to enter for orientation.

"Will you sit with us!?" Nora pleaded Jaune, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure, but only if you touch Sun's tail some more. He said he loves it."

Sun sneered at Jaune as Nora ran behind him and yanked his tail. While Jaune snorted in laughter at his friends misfortune, Ren shook his head in disappointment. Jaune smiled, and looked up into the grey sky. '_Man, if this is any indication of how this is gonna go…_' His smile only grew larger as they entered Gampel, ready to take on his freshman year.

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><p><em><strong>"I will not be forgotten, this is my time to shine! I've got the scars to prove that only the strong survive."<strong>_

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><p><strong>I liked that chapter. Well, quick note for ya- next chapter is the last of the "intro." It's a bit longer, but it's basically complete, so the wait will be somewhat short. Also, thanks so much for the positive feedback. It motivates us to get the chapters out faster and to really focus on putting out material we think you guys will enjoy. As a token of our appreciation: CH4: Orientation- some stuff happens and it happens good.<strong>

**As always, see you in the next chapter.**


	4. Orientation

**Pre-Superbowl chapter. Yeahhhhhh, it's longer than normal. Don't get used to that.**

**So here's chapter 4, the end of the "intro." I personally love it, and hope you will too. Enjoy the chapter, I'll post more words in bold at the end. **

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><p><em><strong>"We're sayin' our goodbyes to the past and everything that ain't right."<strong>_

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><p>The inside of Gampel was like an immense colosseum except that the sandy battle arena was absent, replaced by the polished hardwood of a basketball court; on it were various staff and alumni, as well as metal folding chairs for them. The bright fluorescent lights above blinded students as they poured inside and filled the red seats that surrounded the court. Pyrrha, Yang, Weiss, and Blake found their seats about halfway up the stands. They sat and watched as the crowds continued to flow in.<p>

"Wow…" Yang commented as she looked at the vast amount of people sitting around her. Yang loved to people watch. It was almost like a hobby for her, and from her seat had the perfect angle to do so without attracting much attention. People of all shapes and sizes occupied the space: a big, nasty looking brown haired guy, a timid bunny eared girl, some thug looking fellow with a tacky green mohawk. Despite the vast diversity of people, she had yet to see someone who really interested her; just the regular "dorks and douches" as she put it. Suddenly, her attention was drawn to a small commotion below, and her eyes fixated on the chiseled six pack of a blond boy in an unbuttoned dress shirt. Behind him, a quirky orange haired girl terrorized him as she pulled on his tail, making him wince every time she tugged too hard. Behind them, an oriental boy scolded the girl while another blond boy laughed hysterically.

"It's official," Yang started, leaning back in her chair as she laced her fingers behind her head, "I love college." Pyrrha chuckled and smiled at her best friend. Yang was a bit impulsive with her decisions, and for her to make one so soon wasn't exactly anything new.

"Yang, we've been here for what? A couple hours? What makes you say that already?" Pyrrha asked, doing some people-watching of her own.

"Oh, y'know," was all Yang said, eyes still glued on the blond monkey-faunus. Pyrrha recognized the look in her friend's eyes, and followed her gaze. '_Typical Yang..._' she thought to herself when she saw the lean monkey-tailed boy. She had expected as much. After all of her years with Yang, she knew by now that almost nothing captured the blonde brawler's attention quite like a guy with perfect abs. This monkey faunus definitely fit the bill. Pyrrha smiled to herself as she too watched the oriental boy scold the orange-haired girl, who was now pout- oh, wait, now the oriental boy was giving her a piggy-back ride. Pyrrha's gaze traveled back some more, landing on the blonde boy in the grey hoodie. She studied his face; it seemed... familiar. '_Wait a minute… I know him! Where have I seen him before… oh, this is gonna bother me._'

Pyrrha continued to watch the four as they went and sat down, racking her brain in pursuit of an answer as to how she knew that boy. '_School? No… A tournament? No, that can't be it…_' A flick to the forehead snapped her back to reality.

"See something you like there, Pyr?" Yang asked, eyes finally back in her head. She wore a mischievous smile, a smile that never brought Pyrrha anything good.

"O-Oh! No, Yang, I wasn't looking at the faunus boy, I-"

"Oh, I know you weren't, because I was. You were eye-raping the blond kid next to him, though." Yang paused, bringing curious fingers to her chin as Pyrrha flushed slightly. "I swear I've seen him before."

"You too, right!?" Pyrrha exclaimed. "How are we not getting this!?"

"You two aren't talking about Sun and Jaune, are you?" Pyrrha and Yang looked over to see that, surprisingly, it was the usually quiet Blake who had spoken. Her finger was pointed towards the boys' direction, a smile on her face.

"You know them?" Yang questioned, a hint of hopefulness laced between the words.

"They went to my high school. They're friends," Blake answered, "You probably saw Jaune in the paper or online. He's the first freshman to ever make, let alone start, on BU's wrestling team. Kind of a big deal."

"Yes! That's where I saw him!" Pyrrha concluded, looking back across the stadium to at boy; he was engaged in a game of rock, paper, scissors with the orange haired girl. Pyrrha let loose a small giggle as the boy lost for the third time in a row, and Yang noticed her growing interest in him.

"So, Blake, think you can introduce us? I think Pyrrha here wants that Jaune kid to teach her some 'wrestling' moves," Yang quipped, jabbing at Pyrrha's side and making her squeak cutely.

"Shut up, Yang! I do not!" Pyrrha cried in embarrassment, returning the jab to Yang's side before turning back to the amber-eyed girl. "Blake, you don't have to do that. I was just curious because I knew I recognized him from somewhere, and you answered it! So, no need, really!" The other girls snickered as Pyrrha's face became flushed.

"Suit yourself," Blake shrugged, lounging in her seat a bit. A coy smile parted her lips. "He is pretty cute though, I had a crush on him in high school before I met Adam. You might like him- just sayin'." Pyrrha's blush deepened; she was never good with boys. She was always too focused training or studying, so just talking about them made her all giddy. She decided to try and save what dignity she had left by changing the topic.

"So, Blake!" Pyrrha began, trying to swat Yang's hands away from poking her stomach, "You never told us what you're majoring in?"

"Criminal justice," Blake replied, "Weiss told me you were looking at PT or sports marketing?"

"Yep!" Pyrrha was finally able to fend Yang off. A quick swipe at the jaw usually did it. Yang rubbed her jaw, smiling as she looked over to Blake.

"Hey! Blakey! Ask me about my major!" Blake just stared at the girl, a faint smile present. "Thanks! I'm double majoring in sports marketing and athletic training! Pyr got me interested in the marketing aspect, but being able to yell at people and make them do exercise is just too tempting. Not to mention, I love helping people achieve their goals. Sorta like a goal of my own, y'know?" Yang smiled cheekily, causing her roommates to return it.

The conversation tapered off as they went back to observing the crowds. Occasionally, they'd laugh at the random individual clumsy enough to trip on the stairs, and Yang would tease Pyrrha every now and then as well, asking if she was "still lookin' at that guy." A sudden loud screech from the speakers resonated through the room, silencing the students. Their attention was brought to the stage in the center, where a silver haired man in a dark suit and green scarf walked towards a dark wood podium. He adjusted his black spectacles before clearing his throat.

"Hello." His voice echoed through the stadium. After pausing for a moment, he continued. "I'll... keep this brief." He spoke slowly, his tone cold and distant. His strange nature had managed to capture the attention of all of Gampel's occupants, whose eyes were now glued to the odd man as he stood there gripping his BU coffee mug.

"Who's that?" Yang whispered, leaning towards Pyrrha. Weiss leaned forward to look at Yang.

"It's Headmaster Ozpin. Didn't you research the school?" While she said it sweetly enough, Yang couldn't help but notice a rather snarky undertone in Weiss' comment. Yang furrowed her brow as Weiss sat back into her seat. Something about Weiss felt "fake" to Yang, and she would be watching her closely. Down below, the speakers blared up again.

"As most of you are aware, I am Headmaster Ozpin. You have been allowed to come to my University in the pursuit of knowledge. While getting here was no easy feat, I'm here to tell you your trials are far from over." Ozpin took a moment to take a sip from his cup before continuing. "You're here because you are exceptional; I expect you to prove this during your time here. For those of you chosen for your academic prowess- you should hold your studies in the utmost regard. Those of you who have come here to compete athletically- you are expected to perform at your best and keep this University #1. If anyone here doesn't think they've the mettle to live up to these expectations, I suggest you leave now. There is nothing for you here if you lack resolve." The man's voice was blunt and unforgiving, and more than a few students actually caved under the pressure of his words. As the last of the washouts left, Ozpin raised his eyebrows slightly. "I see many of you have decided to remain. Perhaps this is a good sign. We shall see in due time if your decision was a wise one, and if you are up to the task given to you. Now, a word from Headmistress Goodwitch." He gave a bow then stepped offstage, and a blonde woman in a white blouse took his place at the podium.

"Thank you, Headmaster Ozpin. While we expect all of you to put most of your focus and energy towards your studies or athletics, be assured your time here is not meant to be spent alone. We also expect you to branch out into the community and create new bonds. Don't forget to balance your hard work with fun. Use your time and resources wisely, and your time here will be the best four years of your lives. Congratulations again on being selected to attend our prestigious school, and good luck!" The stadium erupted into applause and whistles. The band began to play once again, and students stood from their seats and to leave.

"Wait, what? That was a short orientation!" Yang commented, patting her sage shorts down as she stood, "And here I thought they were going to go off on a long winded speech about how they were going to 'launch us into the forest of adult life' or something!"

"Flung into a forest? Yang, that analogy is a bit ridiculous." Weiss commented, not noticing the look of suspicion Yang was giving her.

"To be honest, I kind of thought the same thing." Blake added, sighing in relief. Pyrrha couldn't argue, believing that orientation would be a much bigger deal than it had been. She shrugged it off however, and stood to walk out with her friends.

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><p>Hours passed, and dusk began to settle over the BU campus. After grabbing a bite to eat with Ren and Nora at the dining hall, Jaune and Sun returned to their room. Though neither would admit it verbally, they both began to miss having Nora around. In the time they had spent together, her spunky personality and indomitable energy had really grow on them. Luckily enough, both Nora and Ren were housed in the same building; Nora was on the fourth floor, while Ren was on the third same as Jaune and Sun. Still, this little fact wasn't enough to disguise the lack of energy in the room. Sun opened the door and walked into his room, zipping his fly as he looked over at Jaune.<p>

"That bathroom's gonna get gross as hell," he groaned, jumping up to his top bunk. "Like, 20 dudes to four stalls? Yeah, okay."

"It won't be that bad," Jaune argued, bouncing a tennis ball back and forth against the far wall. "Anyway, what'd you think of Ren and Nora?"

"They're so wacky. I love 'em," Sun answered, resting on his pillow as he laughed to himself. "It's awesome that we're all in the same building."

"Yeah. How on Remnant did they become best friends? They're polar-opposites!" Jaune wondered aloud, looking up to his faunus friend.

"No clue, but Nora's a riot," Sun then leaned over the bed, furrowing his brow in confusion at Jaune. "And… best friends? Man, you're still as oblivious as ever."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Jaune asked, taking a break from his solo game of wall-ball.

"Dude, are you kidding me? They're totally hooking up! There's no way in hell a calm guy like Ren could tolerate Nora like that unless he was gettin' a little something-something!" Sun grinned mischievously and brought his tail in front of him. "I have to say though. Her grip is tight. I don't know how Ren can handle it." Sun smiled as Jaune began to laugh hysterically. When the laugh faded, Jaune began throwing his ball again. He had to admit, Nora was pretty handsy with Ren, but it had never crossed his mind that they might be a "thing". He just assumed that they understood each other perfectly, and were best friends like he and Sun.

Jaune paused his game once more, thinking a bit deeper about what Sun called him. '_Oblivious? Nah, not even close._' It surely wasn't the first time he called him that.

"Whatever you say." Jaune got up and put on some flip-flops, grabbed a towel and some toiletries. "Gonna shower, I'll catch ya." Jaune promptly left, leaving Sun to his thoughts.

'_Man, Ren and Nora were practically banging, and Jaune says they're best friends? I need to teach him some things._' The last time Sun called Jaune oblivious actually wasn't all that long ago. It was their senior year of high school, and senior prom was only weeks away. Jaune, at the time was captain of the wrestling team. He was known around the school for being a gentleman, and practically every girl in the school had a crush on him. Even Blake Belladonna, one of the smartest and most attractive girls in their class. So, who did Jaune ask to the prom?

No one. He stayed home with his dad, tossing a football around and eating chips.

His excuse was, "Eh, not interested. Doubt I'd find a date anyway." Girls were practically BEGGING Jaune to ask them, but he didn't bother with any of them. Either he was completely oblivious to girls, or he had REALLY good self-control. Sun let loose a muffled chuckle as he thought about it.

"What a moron." He laced his fingers behind his head as his thoughts began to wander freely. They eventually stopped at a reoccuring image, an image that had been in his head since they left Gampel. Someone he couldn't help but notice at the orientation.

A gorgeous, busty, long haired blonde in a yellow deep-v shirt who couldn't keep her eyes off him.

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><p>Decorating a quad dorm was a lot easier and way more fun than any of the girls imagined. Arranging the furniture in the common room, making the necessary adjustments to the bedrooms, and giving the bland, white-walled room some "pizzazz" with colorful posters went swiftly.<p>

In the bedrooms, the girls decorated their "sides" with their favorite posters, pictures and knick-knacks. Yang hung up posters of her favorite male athletes and action movies; the single "Achieve Men" poster stuck out like a sore thumb. Pyrrha did much the same, hanging up posters of her favorite fighters and metal bands. Weiss and Blake's room was also very similar; Weiss had posters of her favorite singers while Blake had posters featuring the covers of her favorite novels. After they finished up decorating, hooking up the electrical appliances they brought and organizing their closets and desks they decided to relax and have some quiet time to study and relax. Unfortunately, relaxing for Yang wasn't exactly quiet.

"Oh, you _FUCKER_! Who the fuck puts a claymore _THERE_!?" she screamed into her headset as she angrily gestured at the screen to no one in particular. She was playing the new FPS game "Field of Battle 4" on her Xbone. It was a well known fact to those who knew Yang that when she was in the zone, yelling was just part of the game. She revived her squadmate, "RedLikeRoses", before charging forward with her 870 MCS shotgun equipped. Unfortunately, she barely made it 10 meters before turning a corner and being blown away by yet another claymore.

*_KILLED BY: THE RASTLER_*

"GOD-DAMMIT!" Yang angrily pounded her controller on the coffee table, leaving multiple dents in it's otherwise sleek surface. "I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, 'THE RASTLER!'" Her outbursts was getting progressively louder and more violent, to the point where one of her roommates finally snapped. Oh, and the first day had been going so well, too.

"YANG!" Weiss was fuming, her eyes giving the busty blonde a murderous glare. She appeared out from her room in her pajama pants and white tank top. "Please stop screaming! SOME of us are trying to prepare for tomorrow, you dolt!" Weiss' tone was much different than before. There was no sweetness this time; only ice.

"Oh, yeah? I am preparing," Yang replied, eyes still glued to the TV. "Nothing, Ruby, my roommate's just being bitchy… Yeah, the white-haired one I told you about."

"Bitchy!? How am I possibly supposed to react when you scream like a maniac over a stupid video game!" Weiss approached Yang, hands on her hips. When Yang still showed no signs of listening to her, Weiss did the only thing she could think of. Pyrrha, who had been watching the scene play out from her room, gasped to herself as she watched Weiss step in between Yang and the TV. '_Bad move!_'

Yang tensed up, turning to look Weiss in her eyes before speaking into her headset. "Ruby, I have to go... Yep, love you too." She used the controller to shut down the console, then took off her headset and placed both it and the controller down on the table. She stood up and faced Weiss; Yang was nearly a head taller than, so the matchup looked rather comical.

"Never... EVER, get in front of the TV when I'm in the zone," Yang warned, "you're getting let off this time. But next time, you'll get to meet Ember Celica." She pointed over to one of the shelves, which had two yellow boxing gloves on top of them. "Got it, snow angel?" Weiss slanted her eyes at Yang, and huffed.

"You're nothing but a barbarian. I'm not afraid of you." Much to Pyrrha's surprise, Weiss stood her ground. She would have never guessed the seemingly sweet, innocent girl she met this morning would turn out to be so bold. Weiss let out an annoyed huff before spinning around and stomping off towards her room. Pyrrha sat down on her bed and returned to her book, relieved that Weiss had gotten off so easily. She didn't even have time to finish her thought before a loud yelp sounded from the common room.

"Yang, what ar- Ahh! No, wait- AHH! STOP! GET OFF M-"

"SAY UNCLE! SAY IT!" Pyrrha poked her head back into the doorframe, looking to see what was going on. '_Oh. Well, there it is… those are cute, but black is not Weiss' color._' Yang was behind Weiss and held her in a tight headlock with one arm, and with the other firmly grasped on the straps of her underwear and pulled upward.

"Uncle! UNCLE!" Weiss cried, flailing her limbs as she tried to wriggle free. Yang released Weiss, smug smile across her face. Weiss glared at her in fury. "A wedgie? Seriously!? You are such an immature little child!"

"Want another one?" Yang threatened, moving towards the girl with her hands raised.

"No!" Weiss ran into her room, slamming the door shut.

"Do you see what you get, Weiss? Do you see what you get when you mess with the _WARRIOR_?" Yang flexed her biceps at the closed door before she perked up and turned, skipping towards her room. Inside, Pyrrha laughed uncontrollably on her bed.

"That looked like it hurt," Pyrrha commented as she regained her breath and relaxed in her chair.

"She so deserved it. She's been snarky to me all damn day, and I've had enough," Yang stated, throwing herself lazily onto her bed. She had a long day, and while Weiss may have been nice when they first met, she progressively managed to annoy the living hell out of her as the day went on. "Hopefully she remembers who mama is next time she wears that skimpy pair. Black is absolutely not her color, either." Pyrrha laughed, bringing her room-brightening smile towards her friend.

"So, I never got to ask. How did Ruby take the goodbye?"

"You know Rubes. She'll be down in the dumps for two days then *ding!* she'll be back to her normal, chipper self. It's her senior year after all- she has other things to worry about besides her sister." Yang then hid her face, making Pyrrha suspicious.

"Yang… how did YOU take the goodbye?" Yang sprung up with a pout, her eyes slightly welled up.

"Don't wanna talk about it," she re-adjusted herself so she sat at the edge of the bed, instantly ridding her face of any signs of sadness. She leapt of her bed and ran to the door, calling Blake over. After a couple of seconds, Blake appeared from her room, Weiss peeking out behind her. As soon as Blake stepped out Weiss slammed the door shut, much to Yang and Pyrrha's amusement. The dark haired girl didn't even have a chance to speak as she entered the room before Yang asked, "So, when exactly will we be meeting Sun and Jaune?"

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><p>Meanwhile, Jaune laughed to himself as he continued to play Field of Battle 4.<p>

"Man, I'm pissed 'YellowBeauty' left. That dude gave me like 20 claymore kills."

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><p><em><strong>"It's hard for me to understand myself, so it has to be hard as hell for you."<strong>_

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><p><strong>Yang as a hardcore, raging gamer. C'mon, that's funny.<strong>

**So let us know what you thought, as always. The more feedback, the more I wanna write maaaan. Also: have a suggestion, maybe need a question answered? PM me, and I'll look over it.**

**Quick thing: So while I'd like to keep the story "T," it might switch to M just because of a good amount of language and the upcoming sexual themes (nothing explicit). We'll see, I don't think we'll have to change it.**

**Next time: Chapter 5: "You're Going Down." **


	5. You're Going Down

**Where I live, we're supposed to get lots of snow.**

**I hate snow. Anyway, quick note: I've been PMed about the quotes I put at the beginnings and ends of each chapter. They're song lyrics, usually metal. If you're interested in where they came from, just shoot me a PM. Those who made suggestions- thank you very much. **

**Here's chapter 5, we were quite please with this one.**

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><p><em><strong>"'Cause I was never going, yeah, you're the one that's going down."<strong>_

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><p>Classes started the day after orientation, but Sun was lucky enough to have no Monday classes. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Jaune. He struggled to stay awake as the professor up front continued to drone on in circles about ATP and the electron transport train. He sighed, and looked around at the other 146 students (he had taken the time to count them, that's how this lecture was going) sitting in the biology lecture, letting his mind wander.<p>

He let out a soft grunt as his head dropped onto his pull-out desk, his hair slightly scratching his forehead. He glanced up after letting his head rest there for a few moments, watching the professor flail his arms in the air as he explained why donuts were the "ultimate fuel" for replenishing ATP. Jaune lazily scribbled some notes down before laying his head back down. He had always found biology fairly easy, and had even taught himself during the summer; this was nothing more than an unbearably boring refresher course to him. Jaune chuckled to himself as he watched his classmates struggle to keep up with the professor as he let his mind wander some more.

_'This is what Blake must've felt like... man, she was gorgeous... why didn't I ask her to prom...'_ His thoughts suddenly focused on one thing as the memories of High School floated through his mind.

Wrestling. His first practice started two weeks from today, and Jaune couldn't be more excited. He imagined himself on the mat, hundreds- no, _thousands_ of people watching as his hand was held high by the official.

The next few days were nothing special, either. His weeks consisted of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with English and Philosophy falling on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Every class was held in the mornings and were never more than around an hour and fifteen minutes, so Jaune was usually out before 1 PM everyday. Thursday rolled around, and before Jaune knew it his last class of the day was over. He walked leisurely to his dorm, relieved he'd made it through the first four days easily enough. He walked through his door, greeting a lounging Sun.

"Yo. Wanna come to the gym?" Jaune asked, throwing his backpack aside.

"Yeah, sure! It's kinda early, but I had a feeling you might say that so I already prepped my shit." Sun turned off the TV and hopped down from his bed. Since Sun was already dressed in his gym clothes, he waited as Jaune quickly stripped and changed. The two grabbed their respective gym bags and made their way to the recreational center located in the middle of campus.

After an unexpectedly long walk and Jaune tripping twice in a row, the two boys finally arrived at the gym. The brick building had three levels. The main floor held locker rooms and the pool area. Upstairs was where all the free weights, squat racks, benches, and weight machines were. The bottom level held all of the fighting rings for the MMA club and boxing club, as well as the wrestling mats used by the wrestling team for practice. After showing their Beacon ID cards to the shy bunny eared girl at the front desk, Sun turned to Jaune as he put his ID back in his bag.

"Hey man, I'm gonna go downstairs. I already know where you'll be, so I'll catch ya' later."

Jaune nodded and gave Sun a fist bump before watching him hop down the stairs, then went ahead and climbed up to the second floor.

The room was pretty packed. Well, half of it was anyways. Jaune couldn't help but laugh at all the students on the machines; he never used the machines and, personally, thought they were complete garbage. If everyone else wanted to use them though, that was fine by him. It just meant that he'd have even more space to work with in the free weight area. As Jaune jogged over to an empty squat rack and placed his bag next to it, he put in his ear buds and scrolled through his playlist for a warm up song. He eventually decided on one by "All That Remains": He loved the band, and they usually got him fired up.

Jaune warmed up with some squat holds, calf stretches and a few light hamstring stretches. After about five minutes of doing them he approached the empty bar, placing it high on top of his shoulders. He let out a deep breath, and tightened his back.

_'Chest up, knees out, bounce out of the bottom,'_ he thought to himself. To Jaune, back squatting was therapeutic. It melted away his stress and put him in a place where no one could touch him. If he was angry, he'd squat. If he was sad, he'd squat. It was a way of life for him.

He did a few warm-up sets with the empty barbell, then began adding weight. On his seventh set, he was squatting 455 pounds for an easy double. After finishing another, he decided to stop adding weight and finish it off with two more sets. He sat on an available bench, taking sips from his water bottle as he searched his ePod for an appropriate song. "Reborn" by "Stone Sour" suddenly came on, and Jaune smiled. He let out a low growl as he approached the bar, drawing looks from those around him.

* * *

><p>Jaune let out guttural scream as he finished his last rep, placing the bar back loudly onto the rack. While his final reps were a bit slower than usual, he'd never before been able to hit so many with that much weight. He was rather proud of himself, and sported a small grin as he wiped his brow and began putting his weights away. He figured he might as well do a little bench pressing next, but as he was bringing the bench into the rack he noticed his phone light up inside his bag. He grabbed the device; its bright screen read, "Call from: Sun Wukong."<p>

"Yeah, what's up?" Jaune answered, panting, "You do know we're in the same building, right?"

"Dude, just shut up and listen...there's no time! These two chicks are - oh shit, they're starting again! Yo, you do not wanna miss this. Hurry the hell up and get down here!" The call ended abruptly, and Jaune looked at his phone in confusion. Sun knew to never interrupt him when he was lifting, so when he did it was for a good reason. Jaune quickly gathered up his things, upset his workout was now ruined, and headed downstairs to see what could have possibly gotten Sun so riled up. As Jaune pushed the metal doors to the basement aside, he became a bit excited when he heard "We Came As Romans" blaring over the speakers. In the far corner, a sizable crowd had gathered around the boxing ring. He instantly saw Sun, who was waving his arms for him to run over.

"You just made it," Sun stated as Jaune made his way to his side. Sun motioned towards the ring. "It's round three, winner takes all. I tried calling you down earlier but you never answered." Jaune shrugged as he confirmed Sun's claim on his phone, seeing six missed calls in the last half hour. He brought his gaze up to the ring, and to its two female occupants. One had her fiery red hair in a fishtail braid while the others hair was let down in messy blonde curls. They both wore sports bras and athletic shorts, which showed off their feminine curves as well as their exceptional muscle definition; this was most likely what drew most of the crowd, including Sun, to the ring. He confirmed his theory as he watched Sun stare at the blonde's every move. Jaune gave the redhead another glance himself, admiring her absolutely perfect physique and noting that her eyes were his favorite shade of green.

_'Where have I seen her before…?'_

* * *

><p>Pyrrha and Yang bumped gloves in the center of the ring before bouncing a few paces away from each other. Pyrrha wanted to hone her skills as a kickboxer, and there was no better teacher than the blonde in front of her. While she excelled at MMA, Pyrrha realized that that wasn't enough. To be the best MMA fighter, that meant for her to try and master as many different types of martial arts as she could. By isolating the combat to strictly kickboxing, Pyrrha figured she could vastly improve her skills in that specific area. Yang had bought her some boxing gloves last Christmas, and ever since then the two had made sparring with one another a weekly ritual.<p>

"You got lucky last time, Pyr," Yang taunted, bouncing on the balls of her feet, "Let's see how you handle this!" She lunged forward with a high kick, which Pyrrha blocked with her forearm. Yang showed no hesitation as she launched a quick second kick at Pyrrha's right thigh. It connected, sending a loud smack resonating through the room. Pyrrha grunted as she jumped back, trying to ignore the stinging. Yang's assault was relentless, however. She sent a kick with her opposite leg, aiming low and connecting with Pyrrha's shin. She immediately followed it up with a straight jab, which Pyrrha barely managed to deflect. Yang threw another kick, followed by a flurry of punches and more kicks. Under the onslaught, Pyrrha realized if she continued to stay on the defensive she'd be in trouble. Her guard was breaking, and she didn't know how much longer she could take Yang's powerful blows. Pyrrha sent a kick Yang's way to create some distance, then retreated back to give herself a little time to formulate a strategy. Without being able to use any sort of submissive holds, she had to get a little crafty. She lowered her stance and raised her fists, waiting for the blonde to begin the attack anew. She didn't have to wait long.

Yang lunged forward with a right hook and a yell, a move that the redhead was able to dodge easily enough. In Yang's excitement, her punch had been sloppy and left her ribs exposed. Pyrrha had counted on this, and sent a powerful fist into her side. As it connected, Pyrrha sent a swift uppercut into the area right below Yang's sternum. Yang spat out her mouth guard as the air was forced out of her, and stumbled backwards to her butt as she gasped for oxygen.

"Ch-Cheap.. sh...shot!" Yang struggled in between breaths as she lay on her back. The crowd cheered as Pyrrha stood on the ring's rubber covered ropes. She mimicked Yang's signature celebration, bowing over the ropes as she blew the kisses at the fans. She felt great; it was rare that Pyrrha managed to defeat Yang when they exclusively kickboxed. It got to her head a bit as she continued celebrating, not noticing Yang behind her until she yelled, "Who thinks they can take down the lovely red-headed warrior!? She'll fight you any style- you name it!" The cheering dissipated to faint whispers and murmurs, and Pyrrha gave Yang a slight scowl.

A loud voice from below broke the silence. "Really?! Okay, then! 50 bucks says my buddy right here can take her in grappling!" At this, the crowd went crazy. Pyrrha looked out to see who was bold enough to challenge her, jumping off the slightly heightened platform of the boxing ring. She was surprised to see familiar faces; the blond monkey faunus boy from orientation and his seemingly now frantic friend.

"Him, right here. $50."

"Sun! You son of a- have I ever told you how much I frickin' hate you? Why the hell would you say that?" the blue-eyed boy said as he shook his head in disbelief. As they came closer, Pyrrha could hear Sun whisper, "Dude I need money for books, shit's 'spensive."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Yang exclaimed, leaning over the ropes, "Grappling!? You just wanna get handsy with my friend!" As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting outside the ring, she lowered her protective act when she realized who had issued the challenge.

"Well, she did say any style! Grappling is an MMA fighting style. My buddy's a stand up guy. He wouldn't try anything." the monkey-boy spoke in a serious tone, hands held up in front. "Of course, if she's not comfort-"

"I accept your challenge. For this match, though, we'll head over to the mats." Pyrrha interrupted, motioning to the side of the room where the large wrestling mats were situated. She walked past Sun and went to shake the hand of the sapphire-eyed boy behind him, "So, what's your name?" Pyrrha already knew the answer, but she wasn't about to let him know that.

"Jaune Arc... Yourself?"

"Pyrrha Nikos," Pyrrha walked over to her gym bag, motioning for Jaune to follow. "So, you think you can best me in grappling?"

"Well, I actually never even agreed to this, sooo..." Jaune replied, his mind racing. _'Pyrrha Nikos… Pyrrha Nik...WAIT. WAAAAIT. Oh my god. It's her.'_ Jaune silenced his thoughts when he saw the peculiar look Pyrrha was giving him. She snickered, and smirked confidently as her eyes locked with Jaunes.

"What, you scared? Don't disrespect me just because you're nervous to touch a girl." She threw her boxing gloves off and switched to the smaller gold and red UFC branded fighting gloves in her bag; the word "Milo" was stitched on the left one, and "Akouo" on the other.

"My, my, you're a confident one," Jaune remarked, fairly impressed at her fighting spirit. "Fine. You're going down."

Yang hopped out of the ring and ran to Pyrrha, putting her arm around her before walking a couple of meters away. Once she was sure they were out of earshot, she turned to Pyrrha.

"Hey, uh, Pyr?" she whispered, looking over to Sun and Jaune who were patiently waiting by an available wrestling mat, "remember when Blake said this kid made the wrestling team as a know... a 'first in BU history?'"

"Mhm, I do recall her saying something of the nature."

"Well, why the hell are you accepting his challenge for grappling? Isn't it the same as wrestling?" Pyrrha chuckled as she tightened her gloves.

"They're completely different, and I happen to be a great grappler. Or do you not remember? If I didn't believe I could win, I would not have accepted." Yang followed as Pyrrha made her way back to where Jaune stood. Pyrrha grinned, "Besides, I think he's overrated. Not to mention, I've beaten much larger opponents. I'm gonna make us an easy $50." Pyrrha winked at Yang and then approached Jaune. He looked over at her and flashed an amused smile.

"You ready, cinnamon stick?" Pyrrha furrowed her brow at the blond wrestler; she had never heard that one before. She had been called all sorts of things, but never "cinnamon stick". The absolute oddness of the nickname managed to throw her off balance.

"What did you call me?" Pyrrha asked after a second's hesitation, trying to keep her face stoic as she sized up Jaune. He was only about an inch and a half taller, boosting Pyrrha's confidence even further. Another goofy smile spread across Jaune's face as he gave Pyrrha a wink.

"Cinnamon. Stick." Jaune walked to the center of the mat, leaving a blushing Pyrrha in a speechless daze. Never before had a opponent brushed her off so nonchalantly, much less flirt with her before a match. She only received vulgar gestures and insults for the most part. Pyrrha forced herself out of her daze, trying to focus as she hurried across the mat to meet Jaune in the center.

* * *

><p>"Wanna make a bet?" Yang smiled devilishly as she scooted over next to Sun. He raised his eyebrows in curiousity.<p>

"Didn't we already? $50." he stated as he scratched his head.

"And? That's weak sauce, buddy. 100 bucks says my friend beats yours." Sun chuckled, and returned her devilish grin.

"You've definitely got a deal,... uhhh..." Sun pointed his finger towards Yang as he squinted his eyes slightly. She laughed, and took the hint.

"My name's Yang."

"Oh, pleasure to meet you. I'm Sun." They shook hands, and turned their attention towards the mat and their friends. Around them, the crowd began to reform, various cheers and shouts filling the air. Sun glanced over at Yang as she screamed for her friend to "kick that scrawny kid's ass!" and smiled.

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Do not grieve, end the suffering. We will live, live eternal."<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Cliffhanger lol.<strong>

**As always, if you enjoyed (or hated) share your thoughts in a review or PM. Again, suggestions are always welcome. Depresdmustache is working on a new pic, and it should be out soon! I'll be sure to tell ya.**

**Next time: Chapter 6- "Fighting."**


	6. Fighting

**Quick note from my co-writer.. 'Hey there guys, DepresdMustache here. I want to apologize to anyone who thought the fight scene was too short. Although I wrestled for quite a few years, I know next to nothing about actual grappling and MMA fighting. I watched a lot of videos and did a lot of research to try and make the match as good as possible, so I hope you still enjoyed it. To make up for it, this and the next chapters will be a tad longer than usual.'**

**Also, we'd both like to thank everyone reading, following and reviewing. Makes us happy and eager to continue. **

**On a non-professional tangent I hate my school's gym, takes 20 minutes to get a squat rack like CMON **

**Chapter 6: "Fighting"**

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Even through the darkest days, this fire burns, always."<strong>_

* * *

><p>Jaune rolled his neck and flicked his wrists, eyes locked on the red head standing before him as he mentally prepared for the match. He had wrestled girls before, but never one so... curvy. Plus, this was grappling; that meant submissions, not pins. He was a bit nervous about hurting her, but she was an MMA fighter and knew what to expect from a match like this. If anyone could take him on, it'd be her. She put on a golden headband and flashed him a cocky smile, revealing a bright red mouth piece as she raised her arms to the crowd and gave them a thumbs up.<p>

_'Heh, she could learn a thing or two from dad,'_ Jaune thought to himself. She finally brought her gaze back to him.

"You ready, cream puff?" She said, her eyes sharpening as she met his gaze. Jaune smiled and laughed at he comment, much to Pyrrha's dismay. Her attempt at taunting him was not working. Jaune shook his head in amusement, knowing why she said it. His baggy sweatshirts had a tendency to make him seem scrawny. With a sly grin, he pulled his hoodie off over his head, revealing a black short sleeved Under Armour shirt which tightly hugged his muscular body. The words "Crocea Mors" ran up his right side in bright yellow. He noticed Pyrrha's eyes widen as she scanned his extremely defined arms and stomach.

"Hello? My eyes are up here." Jaune teased. Pyrrha shook her head and focused. "Shut up." Pyrrha retorted, her voice completely serious. She turned to Yang. "Hey, get over her and ref." Yang yawned and stretched her back.

"Ehhh… nope! I'm tired." She glanced slyly at Sun, then pushed him towards the mat. "Here's your ref!"

"Wait, no! I don't want to…" Sun's voice trailed off as Yang pouted playfully and crossed her arms to accentuate her bust. She bat her eyes and bent forward towards him.

"Pleaaase?" she purred with a seductive wink. Sun sighed, then waved his hand at her in acceptance. '_Can't be helped…_' Sun clapped his hands in between Jaune and Pyrrha, looking at each of them.

"Okay, this match will consist of one five minute round. Regular scoring is…"

"No." Pyrrha interrupted. "No scoring. This'll just be a submission-only match." Sun looked at her and shrugged.

"Okay then. If you want a submission 'deathmatch' be my guest. Touch gloves," as they did, he swiped his hand in between them. "Begin!"

Jaune shuffled around Pyrrha, circling her in a low stance as he waited to create an opening. Pyrrha, still riding high from her match with Yang, bounced lightly on her feet, her stance high and seemingly wide open to attack. Despite this, Jaune continued to circle, only occasionally reaching out to hand fight. This aggravated Pyrrha immensely.

"What are you waiting for, twinkle toes? Are you going to attack me, or dance around all night?" Noticing her words were still having no effect she lowered her stance as well and went on the offensive, aggressively shooting for Jaune's legs. Jaune made an effort to fend her off as he sprawled back, but couldn't defend against Pyrrha's immediate follow up shot. They fell to the mat, and Jaune failed to resist his wrestler's instinct to belly out. Pyrrha capitalized on his mistake, grabbing his right arm and flipping over his side to throw him in a straight arm lock.

_'Technically, he has the advantage in this match. I need to end this quickly,'_ Pyrrha reminded herself as she cranked the hold. Despite the stress showing on his face, Jaune refused to tap. After a few of seconds of struggling, he flipped over from his back and shuffled towards Pyrrha's head to break the submission. As she felt her grip loosening, Pyrrha let it go and went into her guard position, letting Jaune move in on her. In his hasty scramble to gain control, one of Jaune's arms slipped inside Pyrrha's legs as he grabbed her. She used the opportunity to throw in a triangle choke, but to her dismay Jaune was prepared for it. He put the fist of his caught arm down on the mat beside her head, and raised his hips. Pyrrha was amazed at his impeccable defense, and cursed as he shuffled around her left side and broke her move yet again. As she sat up, Jaune swiftly positioned himself behind her and, before she had a chance to react, threw in a rear naked choke. He then wrapped his legs around her, locking them around hers and leaning back.

"I would probably tap if I were you," Jaune cautioned, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he added, "Unless, of course, you're into this sort of thing." His smug grin threw Pyrrha into a frenzy, but his confidence was not without merit. Although Jaune put minimal pressure on his hold, Pyrrha could feel how tight it really was. She continually struggled to free herself, but his control was incredible and she could barely move without stressing the lock on herself. She grimaced in defeat, and reluctantly tapped the mat. Jaune released his grip, and they stood up. The crowd cheered ecstatically as Sun ran over from Yang and raised Jaune's hand, amazed that he had beaten the ferocious redhead.

Pyrrha walked over to her bag, throwing her gloves on the ground as she let out a long, heated breath. It seemed the hype around Jaune was there for a reason; he had managed to become her first defeat in a long while, and in under 4 minutes no less. She had underestimated his skills, and paid the price- $50 to be exact. While vehement at being defeated, something about the soft smile Jaune wore as he approached her was actually calming. It was humble, and genuine.

"I have to say, Pyrrha, you nearly had me twice," Jaune said as he held out his fist, still panting raggedly, "You're probably one of the best I've ever faced. If that match had gone on, I'm not so sure you wouldn't have caught me. Say, you wouldn't happen to be an MMA fighter?"

Pyrrha hesitated for a couple of moments, but accepted his fist bump. She removed her mouthpiece, and wiped her brow before turning to him. "You got lucky this time. Still, I have to admit, you are quite possibly one of the most skilled opponents _I've_ ever faced." She paused to take a few slow, deep breaths in order to calm her heart rate. "And, to answer your question, yes, I am an MMA fighter. How'd you guess?"

Jaune sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "Well, o-oh, just lucky I suppose. Not many people just happen to be so good at both kickboxing and grappling, y'know?" He paused for a second, his cheeks blushing slightly, "Aaaand I _might've_ seen you being interviewed by Conan O'Bruin a few months ago on tv. I remember thinking how beau-" his eyes widened as he caught himself, going into a coughing fit to cover up his slip before continuing. "Uuuh, how cool you were, being the first female UFC fighter to compete in the guy's league and all that." Pyrrha cocked her head at him and smirked.

"I'm not so sure I heard you clearly. What was that last part?"

"Nothing. Just that you're cool. One coooool cat." Jaune looked at the floor, kicking himself mentally for letting that slip.

"Just cool, huh?" Pyrrha gave Jaune a smug smile, hands on her hips.

"Yes. Ice cold."

"Well, thank you. I have to confess, I actually knew who you were before the fight," Pyrrha said with a smile as she picked up "Milo" and "Akouo" and tossed them in her bag.

"Wait, what!? How?" he exclaimed, his look of pure shock amusing Pyrrha.

"Oh c'mon! Don't play dumb with me. 'First freshman to make the BU wrestling team'? You're all over the internet and in the papers!" Pyrrha answered, resisting the urge to glance at Jaune's stomach. "Also, I kind of thought you to be egregiously overrated..." She added in a somewhat apologetic manner.

"Overrated!? Now, that's just mean. Why would you think that?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It just seemed like it to me. Even my roommate gassed you up." Pyrrha reasoned as she gave Jaune a sincere grin, "After our match, though, I can see that every word they say about you is the truth."

"Well, I'm glad I live up to your standards, firetruck," Jaune teased, poking fun at the emerald eyed girl's fiery spirit, "but, hey, you don't have to actually give up $50. Sun was just bein' cheap."

"No, no. You won fair and square. It'd be against my honor to back out of it." Pyrrha reached into her bag and brought out a tan leather wallet, plucking a 50 dollar bill from within. She extended her arm and presented it to Jaune.

"On your honor? Oh, what? Are you an Amazon now?" He laughed, then put his hand up. "Seriously, I can't accept it,"

"Jaune, just take it!" Pyrrha insisted, shaking the bill as she pressed her hand out further.

"No, I ca-"

"Take it! Take it or I'll...I'll punch you!" Pyrrha cocked her other hand back, and Jaune relented.

"Fine! Jeez! I've never met someone so eager to lose money…" he sighed as he took the bill and shoved it carelessly into his pocket.

"See? Wasn't so hard, now was it?" Pyrrha asked as she placed her hands on her hips once again.

"It was pretty tough," Jaune replied, "Anyways, I think I'm gonna get out of here. It was really nice meeting you Pyrrha. Maybe I'll let you try and win your money back sometime."

"It was nice to meet you as well. And I'd like that, fruit cup." At this, Jaune opened his arms wide.

"No hard feelings?" Pyrrha shook her head and smiled, closing the space and returning Jaune's friendly hug. Jaune grinned to himself, and moved his mouth close to her ear.

"Also, my dad calls me that," Jaune whispered, his warm breath catching Pyrrha off guard and sending shivers down her spine, "so you need to think of something more original." Pyrrha let out an uncharacteristically loud giggle as they parted, and Jaune smiling brightly before turning his head.

"Yo, Sun! You ready or what?" he called to his friend, who had walked over and begun talking to Yang.

"Yeah!" Sun called back, fist bumping Yang before tucking his phone in his pocket and running over. Behind him, Yang waved to Jaune.

"Nice meeting you, Yang!" Jaune shouted as he waved back as he and Sun walked to the exit. Pyrrha watched the two boys leave the room, a cheesy smile plastered on her face. From behind, she heard Yang walk up to her.

"I just lost $100 thanks to you. Way to go, 'cinnamon stick'!" Yang punched Pyrrha's shoulder lightly, and Pyrrha returned the punch.

"Don't you dare start calling me that," Pyrrha warned in mock anger, "You don't exactly seem crushed about it either!" she paused a second, then looked at Yang in confusion. "Wait, I already paid Jaune. How did you lose $100?"

"Oops. Forgot to mention, I kinda made a side bet with Sun." Pyrrha laughed at Yang, who wore her trademark grin. "So, how'd you like being up close and personal with your dream boy?" Yang asked as she let out a whistle. "Blond, funny and muscular. I don't know how you were able to stay so composed." Pyrrha's face turned crimson as she remembered how defined Jaune's body was.

"He-He's not my dream boy," Pyrrha argued, turning away from her friend to hide her flushed cheeks, "That was simply a grappling match, nothing more."

"Oh, please! He fits the description of that 'perfect guy' you gave me a while back! You so like him! Admit it!"

"I don't." Pyrrha said curtly. From her tone, Yang knew to back off. At least for the moment. They quietly gathered their gym bags and went to the locker rooms to change. They waved goodbye to the bunny faunus up front before stepping through the front doors.

Outside, they were greeted by clear blue skies. Pyrrha and Yang both put their hands up to shield their eyes from the bright sun. It took their eyes a few moments to adjust to the bright sunlight after coming from the dimly lit basement. The pair walked down the sidewalk towards their dorm in silence, mostly due to their utter fatigue. On the way, Yang thought up an idea to try and coax Pyrrha into admitting her feelings, so she broke the silence.

"Pyrrha?" she asked, looking down at the ground as she walked. Her tone was nervous, something Pyrrha didn't experience too often.

"Yeah?"

"You remember Sun, right?"

"Yeah, we just met him, how could I forget. You two seemed to be having a great time."

"We were. We talked a little bit… he seems like a great guy." Yang was still staring at the ground, playing with a few strands of her hair. She was definitely acting weird.

"So why do you bring him up?" Pyrrha asked, a smirk on her face as she did her best 'Yang' impression. "You have a _cruuush_?"

"I'm not sure..."

* * *

><p>Jaune walked to his room, his messy hair still wet from his shower. He walked through the door, seeing Sun glued to his phone. Ever since they left the gym, all Sun did was talk about Yang. The only time he'd stop talking about her was to tease Jaune, asserting that Jaune "now owed him one" because Sun let him touch "that red haired hottie." Jaune remained silent for the most part, ignoring Sun as he became lost in his thoughts. His memories brought him back. Back to the first time he had ever seen Pyrrha Nikos.<p>

It was July, and Jaune sat lazily on his couch as he flipped through the channels. Outside, the air was muggy and cicadas sounded relentlessly. Jaune had just got home from work, and his dad was fixing up some sandwiches in the kitchen. Jaune gave up on trying to find a program, and finally just settled for watching Conan O'Bruin. The guy was pretty funny, and it was way better then "The Super Real World".

"Here ya go, boy," Jaune's dad said as he placed a turkey sandwich on the coffee table in front of Jaune. Greg joined Jaune on the couch, taking a bite out of his own sandwich. "Whatcha watchin'," he mumbled with his mouth full.

"Conan," Jaune replied, reaching over to grab his plate. "Nothin' better is on."

"Alright, whatever." The two watched the show, and it was worth a few chuckles. Then Conan introduced his special guest.

~"_And now, it's my honor to bring the first ever woman to compete in men's UFC- Pyrrha Nikos!_"~

His statement caught both of their attention.

"Wait, who?" Jaune asked in curiosity, leaning forward towards the screen. He watched as a slender red haired girl around his age walked on stage. She wore a long black dress, and her hair trailed down her back in a ponytail. Her eyes were a vivid emerald, Jaune's favorite color, and she had an incredibly bright smile. Jaune watched her entire interview with Conan, unable to take his eyes off of her. When the interview ended and the show cut to a commercial break, Jaune couldn't help but feel disappointed it wasn't longer.

"Jeez," Jaune said, lounging back into the couch with a sigh, "if I ever met her…"

"You'd probably choke." Jaune forgot his father was still in the room, and jumped a bit at the voice.

"Oh, shut up!"

"You like her? She was cute."

"Like her!?" Jaune exclaimed, pointing at the TV, "Dad, she's perfect! Beautiful and a mixed martial artist? A girl couldn't get much better, dude."

"She's 18? Maybe she's going to Beacon?" Greg offered jokingly, knowing how ridiculous it sounded.

"Oh yeah, totally… and I'm actually Joan of Arc." Jaune joked back, sitting up again. "But man, I'm tellin' ya… If I ever met her…"

* * *

><p>"Hey, wanna grab some grub with Nora and Ren? They're going down in five." Sun's voice snapped Jaune from his daze, causing him to blink a few times.<p>

"Y-Yeah, sure," Jaune answered, throwing on his clothes. He pulled his orange t-shirt over his head, and let out a sigh as he sat down on his desk chair.

"Are you alright?" Sun asked, looking at Jaune with a bit of concern, "You've been… off, since you won the match. Somethin' on your mind?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Sun narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Bullshit, you're thinkin' about that girl!"

"Nope. Wrong. Try again." Sun continued to glare at Jaune curiousy, then gasped and clapped his hands together.

"You son of a bitch," he muttered, getting close to Jaune, "she's that MMA babe you told me about before school started, isn't she?!" Jaune shook his head quickly but before he could dispute his claim, Sun continued his rant. "I knew she looked familiar- I should have known! You're never this quiet. Wait, do you still have that 'Sports Illustrated' issue with her on the cover? Oh my god, I'm so telling he-" Sun was cut short as a pillow smacked his face, sending him sailing back onto the futon. "O-Owww…."

"No, I don't. And shut up, I'm not thinking about her," Jaune lied, trying to hide his flustered expression. Truth be told, he did still have the issue at home. Sun sat up and brought out his phone.

"Who the hell are talking to? You haven't put that phone down since we got back!" Jaune asked, getting up to peek over Sun's shoulder.

"Yang," Sun replied, his eyes not leaving the screen, "While you and the redhead were fightin', we exchanged numbers. I think she digs me." Sun smiled as he texted Yang back. When he was finished he shoved his phone in his pocket and stood up. "Ready to go?"

"Lucky you, and yeah, I'm starvin'." The two blonds made their way down to their dorm campus' dining hall. They greeted Ren and Nora just outside of it, and they walked in together.

As they ate Nora continued her story, jumping around as she described the massive bear she once rode. Ren shook his head at her as Jaune and Sun laughed, watching as Nora animated her story. Whenever Sun took his phone to text, Jaune scowled slightly and kicked himself for not even considering asking Pyrrha for her number. Despite everything, Jaune couldn't get the image of the beautiful, fiery red-headed warrior out of his mind. He looked forward to the coming weekend, glad his first week would be over tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Pyrrha was also glad to have her first week come to an end, and marveled at how quickly it had passed. She hadn't been able to concentrate all day, and it was due to two things in particular. One was her excitement towards tonight, since she'd be experiencing her first college party with her roommates. The second, and more prevalent issue, was her incapability to shake a certain blond boy from her thoughts. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Jaune right now, but she would make damn sure no one knew what was on her mind.<p>

She ran to her room, and woke Yang so they could all get food down in the dining hall. Once downstairs, they sat at a table with Weiss, Blake, and Adam, all of whom had already begun eating. All of them talked about their plans for tonight, the first weekend of the semester. According to Adam, if the parties were anything like last year, it would be an absolutely crazy night.

"Ohh, I'm so excited!" Weiss exclaimed, "I've never been to a public party before! What should I wear? Oh, will there be a sit-down dinner? Blake, will you help me choose something when we get back?" The rest of the table listened as the white haired girl continued on, grinning at her adorable naivete. It didn't surprise them one bit that Weiss had no experience of parties apart from the ones she attended with her parents. They had to make sure her first experience wasn't a bad one.

"You have a lot to learn, snowflake," Yang commented, "Blake, make sure she doesn't embarrass us." Weiss frowned in annoyance at Yang's comment, but her face softened when Pyrrha put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yang, don't be mean," Pyrrha scolded, causing Yang to pout as she sipped her water. Pyrrha turned back to Weiss, "Don't listen to her. I'll help you tonight as well. It'll be fun!" Weiss nodded as she smiled brightly, turning away to finish eating her salad.

"Well," Yang said, slamming her hands on the table, "I have excellent news." She motioned for everyone to get close. They all followed her order and Yang cupped her mouth before speaking. "Guess who got two bottles of Captain Sparrow!" she excitedly whispered, causing everyone's eyes to go wide- except for Adam, whose eyes were still hidden by his red and white sunglasses.

"...You?" Blake answered blankly as she back in her seat. Yang sighed at her lack of enthusiasm.

"How?" Pyrrha asked in a hushed tone.

"What's Captain Sparrow?" Weiss questioned, much to their amusement.

"It's a rum, Weiss," Yang answered, making Weiss "ohh" and return to her food, "and I have my sources." Yang crossed her arms and smiled, giggling to herself before dropping the act, "Just kidding! I just asked some dude and he hooked me up. Wasn't too difficult," she looked down at her cleavage and squished "the twins" together, making the other four laugh. Adam let out a loud chuckle, and the girls all looked at him in surprise. He smiled, coughed, then kissed Blake's forehead.

"Gotta go. See you all tonight," he got up and waved to everyone before exiting the dining hall.

"Hey Blake," Yang purred, "guess who also might have a faunus boyfriend soon?"

"I take it you met Sun?" Blake guessed, making Yang nod in excitement.

"Oh, I met him alright! Even got his number," Yang held up her phone and shook it around happily. She then nudged Pyrrha, almost making her choke on her food, "And guess who met her dream boy?" Pyrrha swallowed her food before trying to defend herself.

"He is not my dream boy!" she responded, a slight blush spreading across her face, "Shut up, before I kill you."

"So, she met Jaune?" Blake asked, getting a sense of pleasure from making Pyrrha squirm in embarrassment.

"Better. She grappled with him." Weiss gasped at Yang's emphasized use of the word "grappling."

"Pyrrha! You did not!" Weiss exclaimed, a look of shock on her face. Pyrrha frantically tried to explain what had actually happened, all the while competing with Yang's obnoxiously loud laughter.

"Ohhhh, so you did the MMA with him? I get it now," Weiss stated when Pyrrha was done explaining. Blake only held a smile, and shook her head.

"I told you you'd like him," she said, tilting her head.

"Blake!" Pyrrha exclaimed, shrinking in her seat, "you're supposed to be on my side here, not Yang's!" Blake shrugged and sipped her drink.

"Yang's side is way more fun." She laughed as Yang fist-bumped her from across the table.

"Well, it's been great," Pyrrha said, getting up to leave, "but I guess I'll be going now."

"Oh, come on! We're just havin' fun, we don't mean it!" Yang insisted, standing up to bring Pyrrha back to her seat. "We know you're not into him." Pyrrha gave her a suspicious look, slowly sitting back down.

"Thank you," Pyrrha said, relieved they were letting up. She glanced at her phone, sighing lightly when she found no new messages had been received. She envied Yang a bit for having someone new to text all day. In the midst of thinking she should have asked Jaune for his number, Pyrrha was yanked from her thoughts.

"Well, if you're not into him maybe we should introduce him to Weiss?" Yang commented indifferently. Pyrrha's head shot up and she looked at the other three girls. Blake was showing Weiss something on her phone while Yang was smiled devilishly. Pyrrha watched as Weiss brought her hand to her lips and blushed.

"He's quite handsome," Weiss admired, her blush deepening, "This is the boy you fought against, Pyrrha?" Blake brought the screen of her phone over to Pyrrha. It was a shirtless picture of Jaune on the beach. Pyrrha's face immediately flushed a deep crimson.

"Y-yeah, that's him. Sure, I guess he's cute, but I don't see what's so great about him." Pyrrha peeled her eyes from the photo and looked at the table, the image of Jaune imprinted in her brain. '_Pyrrha, calm down. You don't have time for a boy. Focus on school and training. You don't like him,_' she told herself mentally. _'He's cocky, sarcastic… muscular, funny, handso-'_ Pyrrha caught herself, and widened her eyes as she realized what she was thinking._ 'Damn it.'_

"So Pyrrha, you won't mind if we introduce him to Weiss?" Blake asked, continuing to show Weiss pictures of the boy.

"He's very accomplished!" Weiss exclaimed, viewing a photo of Jaune surrounded by all of his wrestling accolades. There had to be at least 60 medals, trophies, and plaques in the photo. Weiss looked over to Pyrrha, who stared blankly at the table. "Pyrrha? You sure you don't mind?"

"N-Nope, not at all!" Pyrrha lied, trying to seem as genuine as possible. While she wasn't sure how she felt about Jaune, the thought of someone else going for him still bothered her for some reason.

"Awesome!" Weiss cried in excitement, "I hope he's at the party tonight!"

"Oh, me too," Yang agreed, snickering as she stared at Pyrrha. She took out her phone and sent a quick text to Sun: _Hey there, what are you and Jaune doing tonight?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>"There's no question, you're the answer. I will find you…"<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>We figured making Sun and Yang "go-getters" fit their characters way better than... not?<strong>

**Well, hope you enjoyed that. Again, while this is a longer chapter, don't expect this every post. I think this chapter sets up a plethora of things for the later chapters as well as some MINOR foreshadowing of what's to come.**

**As always, PM me with questions or if you wanna talk about dogs like idgaf**

**Next time: Chapter 7- "Friday Night"**


	7. Friday Night

**A bit later than usual, but this chapter is our favorite so far. I'll leave the a/n for the end. We hope you enjoy.**

**P.S. It's snowing like a MOF where I am lol**

**CH7: Friday Night**

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Live the night like it's your last, fuck the future, have a blast!"<strong>_

* * *

><p>In college, there are times of pure bliss. During those times, memories are made, friendships are strengthened or created, and stupid mistakes are a common occurrence. These times are known as weekends.<p>

"I hope you guys like whiskey."

"I was raised on the whiskey, bitch."

"Nora, calm down."

"What? Renny, stop being mean!"

"3..2..1.. GO!" Jaune yelled as he knocked back a shot of cinnamon whiskey. After it was down he let out a hiss and shook his head quickly to shake the burn from his throat. Everyone else slammed their glasses on the table in the middle of the room, going through same ritual. It was his favorite liquor, and Sun got it for them as a celebratory present for both making it past their first week at Beacon. They invited Ren and Nora down to the room to celebrate with them.

"That's actually pretty damn good," Ren admitted, moving his empty glass towards Jaune, "Hit me again." Jaune happily obliged, uncapping the bottle and filling everyone's glass for round two.

"Ren, I have to say. I didn't think you'd be much of a drinker!" Sun exclaimed, picking up his filled glass.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover, my friend," Ren replied with a grin. He was dressed in a green v-neck and white shorts, and Nora was beside him wearing a pink blouse and tight jeans. She flicked through Jaune's ePod, which was connected to Sun's speakers, and furrowing her brow at the lack of mainstream music.

"Jaune, your music sucks. Can I put in my ePhone?" Jaune smiled and nodded, letting the girl put her ePhone into the speakers and put on a remix of "Clarity" by Zedd. "Alright! Now let's do it!"

The four held their shot glasses in the air.

"To new friends!" Sun toasted.

"To new friends!" everyone cheered before knocking back the liquor, plopping their glasses on the table again. Nora stood up and began to dance around the room; it never took much to get her drunk.

"Another?" Jaune asked as he began refilling the glasses. When he got to the fourth glass, Ren stopped him. He brought Jaune close and whispered, "Nora's done. Two shots will keep her going all night." Ren gestured over towards Nora, and Jaune watched as the girl flailed about the room. Sun laughed and gave a shrug.

"Okay then, thanks for the heads up. You're still good though, right?" Ren smiled, holding out his glass. "For now." Sun and Jaune cheered, and Jaune served them again.

"GO!" The three boys gulped down their third shot, laughing afterwards. Jaune immediately poured again, and they knocked back their fourth shot without hesitation.

"Oh my god that's good," Sun praised, whistling as he punched the air.

"100 proof, baby," Jaune stated with a grin as he wiped his mouth.

"This is awesome. I'm so glad we met you guys," Ren said, starting to bounce in place to the beat of the music. Jaune looked at the bottle, seeing that they still had a lot left.

"One more?" he offered. Ren raised his hand politely and shook his head.

"I'm way lighter than you guys," he said, "I'm already feelin' it." He glanced over to the dancing girl. "Besides, I have to look after that one..." Jaune and Sun nodded, completely understanding. Jaune looked over to Sun and smiled mischievously.

"Hey, monkey," Jaune said, refilling the shot glasses, "Ready?" Sun nodded and they knocked back their final shot. Jaune hid the whiskey away, and the two cracked open a couple beers as they relaxed on the futon.

"Yang text you back?" Jaune asked Sun, sipping on his cold drink. He watched Nora and Ren dance together, laughing as Nora spun Ren around; he let out very uncharacteristic yelps.

"Yeah," Sun replied excitedly, looking at his phone and showing it to Jaune, "She wants us to go to the fraternity house down the road." Jaune nodded as he sipped his beer, staring at the wall blankly. It began move a bit. Jaune reached up to rub his eyes; his face felt numb. He realized that he was quickly becoming drunk, and while he enjoyed the feeling his drunkenness always came with a minor setback. He basically had no filter, and spoke his mind.

"Will Pyrrha be there?" he suddenly asked loudly, drawing amused looks from Ren and Nora.

"Who's Pyrrha?" Nora asked curiously, jumping next to Jaune. "Is she preeeeetty?"

"Yes, very," Jaune answered bluntly, looking over to Sun. "Well?"

"Yang didn't say," Sun replied, his face still wearing a mischievous smile, "but she did say she has someone else she wants you to meet."

* * *

><p>Yang smiled devilishly while Blake and Weiss scowled and bowed their heads as they relented. It took a lot of convincing and even a little blackmail, but Yang finally got the two to agree to drink. Weiss, who had never had alcohol other than a sip of champagne at her father's promotion party, continued to make the point that they were only 18 and drinking was against the law for them. Blake agreed half-heartedly, not exactly as keen on rules after meeting Adam but still hesitant to break them. Yang's threat to leave them behind and not let them come to the party finally did the trick. Pyrrha laughed as Yang danced in victory with a bottle of Captain Sparrow in each hand. In her entire life, Pyrrha only had alcohol on two occasions: Senior Prom and New Years Eve. Both were influenced by Yang, so Pyrrha wasn't nearly as hard to convince this time around.<p>

Adam arrived at their dorm, and the girls decided to create a drinking game. Every time one of them managed to make Adam laugh or smile, they would all take a shot. Adam sat stoically in a red shirt and dark khaki shorts, and his eyes were still hidden behind his sunglasses. They all sat in contemplation, wondering how to go about making Adam smile. Weiss' face lit up, and she turned towards Adam with a sly grin.

"You know who wears sunglasses indoors?" Weiss asked as she giggled drunkenly, "blind people... aaaand douche bags." Yang let out a loud laugh in surprise, amazed at Weiss' sudden brazenness. They all looked at Adam, wondering if Weiss' comment had done the trick. Adam remained stone-faced for a couple of moments, but his face began to waver and he cracked a small grin. The four girls cheered, and Pyrrha gave Weiss a high-five. Yang poured out the shots for everyone, and they knocked them back swiftly.

"Alright," Pyrrha sighed as she wiped her lips and placed her shot glass on the table. "I'm a lightweight, so I'm done for now."

"I am too, then," announced Weiss. "I'm the smallest one here, and I've never been drunk before. If she's done, I'm done." Yang shrugged, then looked at Blake.

"You?" Blake shook her head with a gentle smile.

"No, I'm fine."

"Okay! More for me!" Pyrrha watched incredulously as Yang put down two more shots solo.

"Yang!" she cried in shocked amazement with a smile, "Slow down!" Yang sighed, shaking her hand at her.

"Yeah, yeah. Alright," she replied, reluctantly capping the bottle before placing it back in the fridge. Her phone buzzed on the table and Yang jumped over to read the message, smiling after seeing who it was from. Pyrrha walked over to her carefully as the room spun a bit, sat down next to Yang, and took a guess as to who it was Yang was talking to.

"Sun?"

"Yep, he's gonna go to the party!" Yang adjusted her black dress, making sure her cleavage was much more visible, "gotta look my best!"

"You're ridiculous," Pyrrha stated, letting more giggles escape her. Something was bothering her, though. In her compromised state of mind, her thoughts of Jaune multiplied instead of being erased.

"Is Jaune going?" she asked in a hushed tone. Yang gave her a smug grin.

"Dunno," Yang answered, "Why? I thought you didn't like 'im."

"N-No reason, I just wanted to know forrrr… for Weiss."

"Oh yeah, I bet." Yang looked over at Weiss, who was happily talking with Adam and Blake. "Tell you what," Yang bargained, "if you can just admit that you have a crush, I won't introduce him to Weiss."

"W-Why do you assume I like him! We just met!"

"I just met Sun. Your excuse is invalid," Yang said in a flat tone, suddenly switching gears and getting serious. "You don't need to know someone's life story to be attracted to them."

"I-I…" Pyrrha's tipsy mind was in chaos; one side screamed one thing while the other side screamed another thing entirely. Before she could respond, her jumbled inner dialogue was interrupted by Yang's phone going off again. Yang plucked the device out of her pocket as her ringtone, "Final Fantasy Fanfare", continued to play, and let out a hoot of excitement after reading the text.

"Yo! Let's get going!" She yelled at the group, getting their attention. They all nodded with a unanimous cheer, and headed out their dorm to the street. Outside, large diverse groups crowded the streets, shouting and chanting excitedly as they walked to and from various parties. As the five made their way down the street, countless boys harassed the girls with whistles and obscene gestures. While Pyrrha, Yang, and Blake were used to such behavior, it made Weiss incredibly uncomfortable. One made the mistake of trying to put their arm around Blake, and was instantly dropped by a swift punch to the jaw from Adam. After that, their walk was a lot less eventful. Yang let out a sudden cheer, and extended her finger towards a house about half a block down.

"That's it! That's the place!" she stated, the loud dance music blaring from inside feeding her excitement. They walked over, and gained entrance from the scrawny frat-pledge doorman. Inside, the room was crowded with dozens of teenagers. Weiss' eyes widened in shock, and she put her hand over her mouth as she took in the rowdy scene before her. Spilled drinks and garbage littered the floor. People danced wildly to the music, fist pumping and grinding as they sipped their drinks and yelled obnoxiously. Yang came up behind Weiss and chuckled.

"Still wondering about that sit-down dinner?"

* * *

><p>Ren, Nora, Sun and Jaune were in the front yard of the house Yang said to go to. However, Yang was no where to be seen.<p>

"She played you hard, dude," Jaune teased in mock-sympathy as he put his hand on Sun's shoulder, "Sucks to suck..."

"Shut up," Sun countered, checking his phone again in frustration, "she'll be here." Jaune gave his friend a doubtful look as he turned to face Ren and Nora, who were dancing to the loud electronic music coming from inside the house. He smiled at them, stumbling a bit as he approached.

"Wanna go inside, guys?" As the two nodded Jaune walked back over to Sun, who was trying to call Yang. When he put his phone away, Jaune grabbed his arm and pulled him to the door. Before Jaune could greet the kid standing at the door, a girl's voice sounded loudly from inside.

"Get your hands off me, you creep!"

"I think I recognize that voice," Sun remarked softly, getting closer to the door. As he did the small kid stopped him, requesting that everyone but Nora pay $10 each to enter.

"Bullshit!" Sun scoffed, giving the boy an angry glare before turning to the other three. "Let's get the hell out of here. I need to call Yang." As the four walked away, another shout came from inside.

"I said get off!" the same voice screamed, followed by another voice that yelled, "Back up, kid!" The music stopped abruptly as more yelling began, and a crowd began to form inside the house. Jaune looked at Sun, who returned the look of urgency. There was no mistaking those voices.

"That's Pyrrha!" Jaune exclaimed, the look in his eyes sharpening. "I'm going in." He charged towards to door, Nora, Ren, and Sun behind, and brushing the doorkeeper aside roughly. Before the kid had even hit the ground, they were already inside and forcefully pushing their way through the crowd.

* * *

><p>Pyrrha, Yang, Weiss, and Blake stood behind Adam as he shielded them. All four girls had been groped, most notably Yang and Pyrrha, after they refused to dance with the four creeps approaching them. While Yang and Pyrrha were both formidable combatants, Yang was too drunk to be of much help. Pyrrha wasn't as bad, but fighting in heels while tipsy and off balance was more than a challenge. She had Adam to back her up, but even then it would be difficult to keep their oppressors at bay for very long. Realizing this, Adam had tried to make for the exit with them, but the four perverts had managed to back them into a corner. After being rejected for the fifth time the boys became much more forward in their approach, to the point of getting handsy in a rather rough and drunken manner. This sparked some rather intense shouting from both parties, which led to the current leered hungrily at the girls, and one made a move forward. Pyrrha threw her fist at him, her punch connecting with the left side of his face. He backed off quickly, walking to his place behind the group's leader; a large burnt-orange haired boy clad in a grey muscle shirt. On it, a large and rather gaudy yellow eagle spread its wings across his chest.<p>

"Oooh, feisty," the big guy laughed, glancing at his buddy in amusement. "Just how I like 'em!" He looked over at Yang, and began moving towards her. "I have to say, though, I'm much more fond of blondes." Adam put his hand on his chest, stopping him mid-stride.

"You need to back off. Now." Adam growled, pushing him back roughly. The boy chuckled to himself arrogantly, then walked up close to Adam and got in his face. He sneered up at Adam, his eyes full of malice.

"Or what, you degenerate, Faunus scum?" he hissed. Adam balled his hands into fists, preparing for a fight. This guy wasn't as tall as he was, but he was much bulkier. Adam had speed on him, but he wasn't sure if that'd be enough. Adam glanced over at the girls, and didn't notice the glass bottle until the very last second. It connected with his temple, smashing his glasses and sending him crashing into the floor.

"Nice one, Russel!" the leader complimented his friend, who sported a green mohawk. Blake shrieked and quickly rushed over to a groaning Adam.

"That takes care of that," Russel said matter-of-factly, tossing the broken neck of the bottle at the unconscious faunus boy. He eyed up Blake, licking his lips. "I wouldn't be worrying about him right now, sweetheart. If I were you, I'd be more concerned with myself." Blake's horrified expression made him laugh, and he looked over at his large friend. "Which one you want, Cardin?" The leader, now dubbed Cardin, took very little time thinking about it before pointing to Yang.

"Blondes are always better; I'll take goldilocks," he said before grinning sadistically. "I bet she's a screamer." Yang gave him a deathly glare, raising her fists to show she wasn't completely out of it. Cardin laughed at the gesture, then looked over to the blue haired kid, "Sky?"

Sky, the blue haired teen, pointed immediately at Pyrrha, who readied her fists as well. "That slut needs to learn her place," he said angrily as he rubbed his jaw. It still throbbed from the blow she dealt him. Russel laughed and then pointed at Blake, who was helping Adam sit against the wall. "I'll take her." He crossed his arms and cocked his head with a sinister grin, "I'm sure bull-boy won't mind if I 'borrow' her." As fearful tears formed in Blake's eyes, Russel turned to the boy next to him. "Dove, I guess that leaves you with the white haired one." The last member of the group, a light brown haired boy with squinted eyes, sighed in disappointment.

"Whatever. At least I get one this time…"

Cardin and his crew began closing in on the four girls, their repulsively vulgar intentions all too obvious. Yang and Pyrrha stepped in front of Blake and Weiss, both of whom knelt by Adam's side. Pyrrha's mind was racing as the room spun; she could barely focus, and one look told her that Yang wasn't doing any better. Dove lunged forward, violently pushing past Pyrrha and Yang's defence and grabbed Weiss' wrist. Their reflexes dulled by alcohol, Yang and Pyrrha weren't fast enough to stop him. "Weiss!" Yang cried as she reached for her, only managing to brush her hand before she was pulled away into Cardin's group.

"Release me, you disgusting pig! How dare you touch me!" Weiss screamed suddenly. The mixture of stress and alcohol had made her snap and she lashed out at Dove, hitting him where ever she could. Her weak punches had no effect on the bulky kid, however, and he raised his eyebrows in excitement.

"Well, it looks like I didn't get a bad draw after all. She's got plenty of fight in her!" He moved his mouth to her ear. "This'll be real fun," he whispered fiendishly, making Weiss' cries all the more frantic. As the others continued their advance on Pyrrha, Yang, and Blake, Dove slowly put his hand on Weiss' inner thigh. He slowly began to move upward, grinning sadistically as she squirmed.

"Don't worry," he whispered, "It'll all be over soon enough." Weiss screamed again, and Dove's face contorted in anger.

"Shut up and enjoy it, you stupid bit-!" Dove's sentence was abruptly interrupted as two powerful hands materialized from out of the crowd and clamped in a vice around his neck. In a state of panic, he released Weiss and attempted to pry the hands off of him; before he could even get close, his vision blurred as his head slammed into the wall. He could feel the focus of pressure moving from his neck to his throat, cutting off his air.

"You made a very big mistake, grabbing a woman like that," Dove's assailant growled, tightening his grip. Dove's vision eventually focused on the man in front of him, and he found himself looking into a pair of rage filled sapphire eyes. "You'd better apologize to her, or I'll make sure this windpipe of yours gets crushed accidentally. And by accidentally, I mean I'm going to crush your windpipe." Dove hesitated, and the grip on his throat tightened even more. "I said say sorry! NOW!" the boy bellowed ferociously.

The entire house went silent, shocked and waiting in anticipation for what would happen next. Pyrrha's eyes went wide, and she gasped when she realized it was Jaune who had jumped in to help them and was the one now screaming at Dove. Her heart fluttered and she felt shivers go down her spine. Pyrrha's lips curled into a small smile; she never thought she'd be so happy to see someone who had beaten her in a match.

"O-Okay... man... alright!" Dove managed to choke out, utterly terrified of the demonic look in the eyes of his attacker. Jaune loosened his grip a bit to allow Dove to speak, and Dove looked at Weiss fearfully. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" Jaune looked at Weiss, then grudgingly released his grip. Dove fell to the floor, holding his throat as he coughed and tried to regain his breath. After a brief moment of recovery, he quickly stumbled to his feet and ran for the exit without hesitation.

"Jaune! Behind you!" Pyrrha warned. Jaune turned, putting his fists up and lowering his stance as he watched Cardin, Sky, and Russel approach him. Russel sneered at Jaune, cracking his knuckles.

"A hero, huh? Lemme show you what happens to stupid little do-gooders like you." Jaune raised his arm to parry Russel's punch, but it never connected. His confusion dissipated as he caught sight of Ren, who was lowering his leg after his kick to the back of Russel's skull. Jaune looked over to see that Nora had tackled Sky to the ground and was now pounding on his face. Jaune relaxed his posture now that the fight was even, and turned his head towards Nora.

"Hey, Nora!" Jaune called, pointing at Sky, "He called a friend of mine a bad name!"

"On a scale of 1-10, how bad?" Nora asked loudly, tilting her head.

"Like, a 15!"

"Oh, sorry buddy." With a crazy look in her eyes and a giant, eager smile that contrasted her apology, Nora grabbed one of Sky's legs. Pyrrha couldn't believe her eyes as the girl in pink twisted Sky's leg viciously. A loud, sickening pop resonated throughout the room, drawing a gasp from the crowd. Sky screamed in pure agony for a few seconds before his eyes rolled back and he passed out from the pain. Cardin was now the last man standing, frozen in place after watching his entire crew become incapacitated in a matter of seconds. He had planned to make Jaune suffer for interfering, but, seeing how outnumbered he was, his only thought now was to escape. He took some steps backwards towards the exit, but bumped into a blonde faunus boy. The boy's tail twitched angrily, and Cardin tried to intimidate him to move.

"Hey, you'd better get gone, you Faunus filth, or else I'm going to..." Cardin choked as Sun punched him in the throat.

"Where are you going all of a sudden, buddy?" Sun spat angrily. "Didn't you say you were going to have some fun with my friend over there?" As Cardin stumbled backwards, Sun grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him forward before kicking him square in the chest and sending him flying into the wall. "Leave her alone."

Yang's jaw dropped and her heart skipped a few beats as Sun walked over and forcefully drove a push kick into Cardin's ribs. He stood back and watched as Cardin crawled away pathetically, gasping for air. Russel had begun to recover from Ren's kick and grumbled in pain. Cardin staggered to his feet, and helped the now conscious Russel up before pushing through the crowd and fled through the back door. Jaune and Sun both watched as they left, deciding they'd had enough and weren't worth any more energy. Sky was still unconscious on the ground, and Ren laughed as Nora used the permanent marker in her back pocket to draw male genitalia all over his face. Yang ran over to Sun, hugging him tightly as she kissed his cheek numerous times.

"My hero!" she praised drunkenly, causing the crowd of people in the house to cheer and clap. This pissed Jaune off.

"No, no! Shut up!" he screamed at the crowd, silencing them all as his eyes turned bloodshot. Yang and Sun turned to him with fear in their eyes. Sun rarely saw this side of Jaune, and Pyrrha just watched silently. "Oh, so let's cheer the ones who had the stones to do the right thing," Jaune sarcastically shouted, slow-clapping as he mocked the crowd of people before him, "But why the fuck did none of you step in!? Or call the cops? You're fucking joking right? God forbid if we weren't here! Are you really telling me NONE of you had the common _fucking_ sense to step in!?" The crowd stood silent, everyone looking down or away from Jaune. He just glared at group, his eyes darting from face to face. "You're all unbelievable, and should be ashamed. Look past your own faces next time." With that said, Jaune sighed heavily. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Weiss rubbing the arm Dove had grabbed and walked over to check on her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, bringing his concerned eyes to meet her icy blue ones.

"He grabbed me pretty hard. I really hope this doesn't bruise," she replied shakily, looking at Jaune and then back to her arm. "B-But I think I'll be okay, thank you for your concern." Her voice was soft and confused. Jaune immediately noticed that her fingers were trembling a bit, and he brought his hands to hers. She jumped at the touch, causing him to retract his hands a bit.

"Hey, hey. I'm not gonna hurt you," he said soothingly, "My name's Jaune. I just wanna check out the spot he grabbed you." Weiss nodded slowly and removed her hand from her forearm. Jaune ran his fingers over it carefully, being sure not to apply pressure. "There'll be some bruising, but it'll be nothing crazy. It shouldn't even show up." He smiled when he saw her face brighten up a little bit. "Now, what's your name?"

"I-I'm Weiss."

"Well, Weiss, I'll tell you what," Jaune said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "how about you and your group stick with us for the night? I'm sure no one will mess with Nora over there." He pointed over to the girl in pink, who was now tying Sky's shoelaces together with Pyrrha.

"I-I'd like that. Thanks."

"You're welcome, you're pretty tough! Next time, get mean and aim for the face… or the balls, if they have 'em!" Weiss blushed a little bit and turned away.

"A-Alright, I'll try." Jaune smiled and pat her head. He didn't notice her blush deepening at his touch; his gaze was focused on Blake, who was tending to a now fully conscious Adam sitting up against the wall.

"Wait… Blake!?" Jaune exclaimed, "since when did you go here!? And what the hell happened!?"

"Not the time, Jaune," Blake said sternly, "That green-haired kid your friend kicked got a cheap shot on Adam."

"'Sup Jaune, haven't seen ya since Signal," Adam said, "Mind helpin' me out? Still sorta dizzy." Jaune motioned for Sun to come over, and the two placed Adam's arms around their necks, lifting him up.

"I have an ice pack at the room," Weiss said, "I think we should go back." They all agreed, and left the house to begin the short walk back to the girl's dorm.

* * *

><p>Jaune had his arm around Adam to support him as they walked; Blake followed closely, a concerned look on her face as she lightly held Adam's sleeve. From the back of the group, Pyrrha watched Jaune. She wanted to thank him, but wasn't sure how to go about it. She was still a little tipsy, after all, so she didn't want to say anything dumb. Suddenly, she jerked forward as a strong kick pushed her from behind. She looked back to see a smiling Yang supporting herself on Sun.<p>

"Just go talk to him, you idiot." She said with a slight slur, giggling to herself, "He did come in and save our asses, you know." Pyrrha made a face at Yang, then hesitated before slowly making her way up to where Jaune was. She walked next to him for a couple of seconds in silence before speaking.

"Hey," she said quietly. Jaune turned his head, and smiled at her.

"Hey there, chili pepper. Long time, no see huh?" Pyrrha blushed at his new nickname for her, pouting as she showed him her fist.

"If you weren't carrying Adam, I'd sock you right here!" Jaune laughed, putting his hands up.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." Pyrrha lowered her fist, twirling her ponytail and looking around before turning back to Jaune.

"I...I just wanted to thank you. For back there, I mean. You really-" Jaune cut her off with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

"Don't even worry about it. I'm always willing to help people." He smiled, his drunkenness getting the better of him. "Especially pretty girls like you. Makes me feel like a real knight in shining armor." Pyrrha blushed profusely at his comment, stunned at its forwardness.

"Smoooooth," Adam commented, making Blake giggle and causing Jaune to pause for a moment. His face flushed in embarrassment as he registered his own words.

"Uh… y-yeah, well… anyways, it was no biggie." Pyrrha nodded.

"Y-yeah, okay. Thanks again." She said as she slunk back to Yang, continuing the rest of the walk in silence as Yang and Sun giggled behind her.

* * *

><p>They were relieved that the dorm wasn't too far; what's more, the girl's dorm was actually located right next to Jaune and Sun's own dorm campus. After walking into the girl's quad, Jaune helped Adam onto a couch. Blake sat next to Adam, running her fingers through his red hair; she knew it relaxed him. Weiss, Ren, Nora, Pyrrha, Sun, and Yang all walked in behind them, chatting with each other about various things to keep their minds off of the nights previous events.<p>

"Nice place," Sun commented as he stepped back to admire how large the room was.

"Thanks," Blake replied, "and thank you so much for helping us and with Adam."

"No problem, Blake. Really," Sun responded with a smile, "anything for a friend." Blake returned his smile and went back to Adam, who was now talking with Jaune.

"I know you could have taken all four, no worries dude."

"Thanks, Jaune," Adam said with a snicker, "But I'm glad you guys came when you did. I know Pyrrha and Yang would've done their best to fight them off, but with how drunk they were I wasn't sure the could have kept them away for very long. Especially Yang. And since Blake and Weiss have never fought before, I was kinda worried since no one was helping. They were big guys, but come on..." He sighed heavily, touching the side of his head. "To be honest, I was really scared. Really angry I couldn't do anything. If you hadn't come, and something happened to the girls... to Blake..." Jaune stopped him right there.

"Enough. The point is, it didn't. Everything turned out okay." Adam nodded.

"Yeah, it did. Thanks to you and Sun." Adam then pointed over towards Nora and Ren, who stood off to the side of the couch. "And you two. What are your names?"

"Nora Valkyrie, at the ready!" Nora shouted, saluting the faunus boy.

"Lie Ren, but call me Ren."

"You two are badasses. Nora, did you break one of the kid's legs?"

"Yep!" Nora exclaimed, punching the air, "It's a lot easier when the alcohol makes the voice in my head shut up!" Everyone in the room started to laugh, and Ren put his hand on Nora's shoulder, shaking his head to indicate she had said too much

"I like her," Adam said, "Hey, Yang! Give our Valkyrie a drink or somethin'!" Yang gave a thumbs up and headed over to the fridge. Nora's eyes lit up, and she looked to Ren for approval. He hesitated at first, but then nodded.

"You deserve it," Ren admitted. She brought Ren into a bear hug and rushed over to Yang, who held out the two bottles of Captain Sparrow triumphantly.

"Anyone else?" Yang asked, and everyone in the room raised their hand. Yang smiled brightly, "Now it's a party!" She turned back around and brought out a colorful array of shot glasses. As she placed the out on the table, everyone picked out their favorite color.

"_PINK!_" Nora squealed happily, "Yang, why do you have so many!?"

"I collect them," Yang answered, "Also, in case stuff like this happens!" She twisted the top off of the half-full rum bottle and poured everyone a drink. Once she was done, she held up her yellow glass, "This is for Jaune, Ren, Nora and Sun!" she said, "Thanks for saving us, even though we totally could have taken them! Banzai!"

"Banzai!" everyone yelled, downing the liquid. They slammed their shot glasses down right after, and the room was filled with a short burst of hisses and coughs.

"That is terrible," Ren said, "cheap rum." Yang shrugged at Ren's criticism.

"Alcohol is alcohol, pal."

"I guess you're right," Ren agreed, sliding his green shot glass towards the busty blonde, "gimme another." Yang laughed loudly as she filled his glass. After screwing the cap back onto the bottle, she went to the fridge and brought out some soda and plastic cups to leave the option of mixed drinks open. Pyrrha put some music on and everyone broke off into little groups, either talking or dancing to the music. Jaune fixed himself a cup and stood in the middle of the room, scanning it. His eyes passed over Blake resting on Adam's chest and Nora and Ren talking with Weiss and Sun. Then his eyes fell on Pyrrha, who was talking with Yang. He let his eyes settle on her for a bit. Her crimson hair was in a high ponytail, and she wore a tight red dress that went to her upper thigh and showed off her curves and athletic build. It showed a little cleavage, but was nothing like Yang's choice in clothing.

'_Jesus Christ...'_ Jaune thought drunkenly as he saw her gaze met his. His face flushed red and he quickly turned away, walking to the empty couch, sitting on it in hopes that she didn't catch him checking her out.

* * *

><p>"Go talk to him!" Yang said in a hushed tone, sipping on her drink. "He was checking you out for a good minute. That's the #3 sign in 'How to Know if a Dude Likes You'!"<p>

"Yang, you wrote that 'book,'" Pyrrha countered, "and I don't care if he likes me! I never said I liked him!"

"You're being reeeeal difficult, and it's kinda pissin' me off," Yang slurred, downing her drink. "You know what? Hey, Weiss!" she then called, waving her hand, "C'mere!" Weiss walked over and Yang leaned in, whispering something to the girl in white. Pyrrha tried to listen in but couldn't catch anything over all the other noise in the room. She watched as Weiss turned around and turned red, Yang giving her an encouraging slap on the ass as she walked over to the blond boy on the couch. Pyrrha narrowed her eyes and looked at Yang with a heated glare.

"What did you do!?"

"Put a fire under your ass," Yang said, "I see the way you look at him. You're not the only girl that does it. Now, you gonna stop being dumb, or what?" Pyrrha looked back over to Weiss, who was now sitting next to Jaune. She inched closer and closer, leaning in until she could finally overhear their conversation.

"... As a token of my thanks, I'd like for you to accompany me to lunch. Say, tomorrow afternoon?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>"It's all up in the air and we stand still to see what comes down. I don't know where it is, I don't know when, but I want you around."<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>A little bit darker than usual, but oh no! Weiss asked our boy on a date!<strong>

**I got a few PM's asking where I get my inspiration- I go to a very large school, and I've seen and/or DONE a lot of what I put on paper. So, yeah.**

**Anyway, got a question/suggestion/concern, PM me. Or we can talk about your favorite Final Fantasy... or cats... maybe some anthropology.**

**Next time: CH8: The Date**


	8. Admit

**Sorry for the wait. Longer chapters = longer wait time, unfortunately.**

**CH 8: Admit**

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Always you will find<strong>_

_**Shadows lingering close behind**_

_**Lift your spirits now,**_

_**We shall be together soon"**_

* * *

><p>Jaune's eyes fluttered open at the sound of his buzzing phone, and he rolled over to look at the message blinking on screen. He sat up and stretched his back out, raising a hand to block the rays of light that were peeking through the blinds and hitting his face. After reading the text he grabbed his pillow and smacked Sun over the head with it, hitting him multiple times until he finally stirred.<p>

"Hey, wake up. Adam and Ren want to grab some breakfast." Jaune said, making Sun groan loudly, leaning over the edge of his bed and looking at Jaune with barely opened eyes. His arms dangled lazily, drool trailing from the right side of his mouth.

"...Dude… what time is it?"

"Just around 9:30," Jaune stated after checking his phone. Sun brought his hands up and rubbed his eyes, then his temples.

"Ugh, my head is KILLING me. How are you not completely miserable right now?" Jaune laughed, slightly amused at his friend's suffering. He shrugged.

"I don't know man. I never get hangovers." Sun sighed at Jaune, giving him the finger as he gingerly made his way down from his bed.

"You're a fairy, because that's complete bull." Jaune laughed again.

"Whatever. Hurry up and grab your stuff so we can shower before we eat." Jaune took a good look at Sun as he stood, noting the absolute misery that emanated from his friend. "You should probably take a really cold one. Might help your headache." Sun nodded weakly, grabbing the necessary toiletries before following Jaune out of the room. After they had showered, the two put on fresh clothes and head downstairs. Once they reached the dining hall Jaune saw both Adam and Ren waiting at an empty table, and both he and Sun went over to greet them. Sun expected the two to be hungover like he was, but to his dismay, it seemed he was the only one in pain. Even Adam, who had just as much to drink as Sun and had even been hit in the head by a bottle, was feeling none the worse for wear, other than some minor bruising and soreness. Sun hung his head in defeat as they walked over to grab their food, Jaune patting his back to try and comfort him. The four sat with back down, eating their food hungrily and in relative silence. In between mouthfuls, Sun looked up at Jaune and smirked every so often. After the fifth time, Jaune looked at him curiously.

"Yo, what's up? You think I'm cute or somethin'?" Sun took his time chewing his food, then swallowed with a cheesy grin.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just remembering how buddy-buddy you were getting with Pyrrha last night."

"What are you talking about?" Jaune scoffed, "I wasn't at all."

"You sure about that?" Sun turned to Adam, "Hey Adam, refresh my memory real quick. What did Jaune say after Pyrrha thanked him for his help, again?" Adam smiled, knowing exactly where Sun was going with this. He decided to play along.

"I think it was something like 'Oh, don't worry about it… I did it because you're so beautiful and amazing.'"

"Don't forget the whole 'I'll be your knight in shining armor' part," Ren chimed in with a smirk. Jaune let out a low groan, holding his head in his hands.

"Did I really?" he asked in disappointment. They laughed and nodded, and Sun nudged him in the side.

"That's not all, either." Jaune sighed deeply, mentally preparing himself for the beating his friends were about to give him.

"Guess who has a date today!" Sun exclaimed, clapping his hands in mock excitement. Jaune looked at his best friend curiously, somewhat hopeful for the next few words to be spoken.

"I'm guessing it's me…?" he answered, "Right?"

"Yep! You're quite a bachelor!" Ren and Adam began to laugh with Sun, clapping and pointing at the wrestler. Jaune's heart sank, and now he was worried.

"Go ahead. Who is it? Guy or Girl?" Jaune said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Don't worry, it's a girl," Adam answered.

"No, don't tell me… Pyrrha?" Jaune asked incredulously. Adam waved his hand, dismissing Jaune's comment.

"No, no, not her. This girl's not as…. well, how should I put it?" He turned to the other two boys, posing the question at them. Sun took the bait eagerly.

"Hot?" he snickered, using his hands to suggestively fondle a large pair of imaginary breasts in front of his chest. Jaune scratched his head, now thoroughly confused. He looked up at the three, sighing deeply once again at their jeering faces; they were enjoying themselves immensely, and at his expense.

"Yeah, yeah. Ha, ha, Everyone laugh it up at 'stupid Jaune'." he grumbled sarcastically before rubbing his face in frustration. "Seriously, guys. What's the deal with the date. I don't remember anything about it, and I don't want to go back on my word if I promised someone I'd be there." Sun sighed with a grin as he rubbed the back of his neck, waving his hand in defeat.

"Okay, okay. I give up," he relented, "You're supposed to meet your 'date,'" he stressed the word date, winking sarcastically at Jaune, "at Ridley's Place at around 3:00 for lunch." Jaune grit his teeth in minor annoyance, getting a bit fed up with all of Sun's cheeky remarks.

"Yeah, thanks. But who is it WITH?" The smart ass look on Sun's face made Jaune want to punch him.

"Why, none other than the snow angel herself, Weiss Schnee!"

"Who?" The name rang a bell, and Jaune closed his eyes as he thought hard to try remember who she was.

"You know, one of Pyrrha's roommates? The little white haired one that you saved last night?" Weiss' face finally came back to Jaune, and he widened his eyes in surprise. He looked at them in utter confusion.

"H...how did that even happen?" Ren looked over, speaking up to answer Jaune's question.

"Well, she randomly went over and asked you a little while after we got to their dorm. I'm not surprised you don't remember saying yes. You were pretty hammered at that point." Jaune held his head in his hands, trying desperately to remember what had happened.

"So, she asked me. Why would she do something like that?" Adam shrugged innocently at Jaune, a sly grin on his face.

"I dunno man. I guess you saving her really left an impression." He, Ren, and Sun all snickered together. Adam knew Yang was the one who set it in motion; she had already told the three of them about her plan last night, and they were all on board with it. Jaune ran his fingers through his hair, still letting the revelation of his date with a girl he had barely even met sink in. He calmed himself, accepted his decision, and decided to try and figure out what else transpired.

"Well, what happened after she asked and I agreed to the date? Did we hang out for a bit and talk about stuff?"

"Actually, no. She basically just bowed, thanked you for accepting, and walked away. You guys didn't talk for the rest of the night. You barely even acknowledged each other's existence." Adam laughed with a shake of his head, "Weirdest damn thing ever."

"Well, I wouldn't say she didn't notice him," Sun chuckled, "She was watching him pretty intently, especially while he and Pyrrha were talking." At this, Jaune perked up.

"What was that about me and Pyrrha?"

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? A few minutes after Weiss asked you out, Pyrrha came over to you and you guys started talking. You hung out for, like, the rest of the night." Jaune scratched his ear, nervously wondering what he might've said to her.

"Soooo, did you guys hear any of our conversation? What were we talking about?" Sun shrugged.

"All sorts of crap. MMA fighters, weight training, Space Wars. I couldn't believe how much of a nerd she was. You guys literally spent over 30 minutes talking about what weapons you would use if you were in King of the Rings." Jaune smiled goofily, embarrassed by what he was hearing but internally celebrating the fact that she shared so many of his interests. Trying to hide his excitement, he continued the conversation.

"Do you remember what weapons we chose?" he asked, trying to sound as uninterested as possible.

"You went with a regular sword, and I think she said she'd use a rifle." Adam stuck his hand out across the table in disagreement.

"No way. She said she wanted a spear, remember?" Sun looked up at the ceiling as he scratched his head, then smiled in embarrassment.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot." Jaune shook his head at Sun in disbelief.

"How do you possibly screw that up? There aren't even guns in King of the Rings!"

"Well exuuuuuuse me. Sorry I'm not captain nerd-o like you guys." Jaune laughed as Sun waved his arms in the air to emphasize his words.

"Yeah, she surprised me with her knowledge of all that stuff," Ren commented. Adam crossed his arms, flashing a sly grin again.

"To be honest, I was more surprised with how physical she was being with Jaune." Jaune blushed at Adam's comment.

"What do you mean 'physical'?" he asked curiously. Adam chuckled.

"What I mean is, she wasn't exactly keeping her hands to herself. I was just hoping you didn't make a mess of your underwear. Would've been PRETTY embarrassing."

"Oh, BIIITCH!" Jaune shot back. As the four laughed, Adam slowly got out of his seat and stood up. He stretched his back before turning back to the other three.

"I'm gonna take off guys. Thanks again for the help last night. We'll talk later." He fist bumped each one of them before walking out of the dining hall. As they watched him leave, Ren turned to Sun and Jaune and smiled apologetically.

"I'm actually going to get going, too. I have to go and check up on Nora, you know?"

"Alright man, catch ya' later." Jaune said with a grin as he fist bumped him. Sun did the same, adding in an extra explosion noise afterwards.

"Yeah, tell Nora we said hey."

"Will do." Ren chuckled, throwing them a wave before walking out the door. Jaune glanced over at Sun, and sighed to himself when he saw the stupid look on his face.

"What?" Jaune groaned, knowing exactly what Sun was going to say.

"Oh, nothing," Sun said innocently, "Just figured we should probably get going. Y'know, since you need to get ready for your 'hot date' and all." Jaune facepalmed, punching Sun playfully in the shoulder as they walked out.

"Just… just shut up."

* * *

><p>Jaune waved back at Sun as he shut the door and walked out of the dorm. He still had a couple of hours, and figured the only way he'd be able to unwind for his surprise date with Weiss was to hit the gym. During his walk over, he could do nothing to get his mind off of all the things the boys had told him earlier. He hoped squatting would help to melt his thoughts away.<p>

'_She's totally going to think I'm trying to get with Weiss..._ ' he thought to himself miserably, '_And I said I'm her knight. Man I'm frickin' corny. I hope she forgets about that, although I'm sure Yang won't let that one go so easily... damn it she's going to friendzone me so hard._' He swiped through his ePod as he walked, surprised to find he wasn't in the mood to listen to metal at all; instead, he chose a soundtrack from one of his favorite video games. He always played it whenever he was deep in thought.

'_Then again, Sun said that after Weiss had left, Pyrrha rushed over, sat next to me and talked for over an hour… not to mention Adam did say she was somewhat handsy…_' He took a moment to scan Beacon's gorgeous campus, stopping to look up at the rays of light that poked their way through the leaves shifting in the wind. He used the peaceful moment to breathe deeply, taking in all the possibilities before letting out a deep sigh, adjusting his gym bag, and continuing to walk.

The thoughts kept coming- each positive one countered by a negative one. It left him in a maddening state of neutrality. He walked through the rec centers doors and shook the thoughts away, determined to clear his noisy mind. Jaune wasn't all too surprised to find the gym to be almost completely empty; most of the campus was probably either still sleeping or completely hungover from last night.

'_Only the most dedicated of people are going to be in the gym today,_' he mused silently to himself as he ascended the stairs. He let out a loud sigh as he pushed the metal door to the weight room open, and lifted his head to scan the room; as he had guessed, there were only a few people inside so most of the racks were empty. He observed the few individuals inside, his eyes passing over each one: a pale teen with spiky blond hair in blue benching, a girl with short pink hair in white on a row machine, a red haired girl in a red shirt and spandex standing at a squat rack. Jaune's eyes narrowed, and he let a small grin escape him; he recognized that fiery red ponytail. He stood and watched her for a bit longer. The weight she was squatting was pretty formidable, and he analyzed her form as he walked over. He pulled up a bench and sat behind the rack, waiting for her to finish her set.

Pyrrha let out a little grunt as she stood up with the weight, re-racking the bar from her shoulders before letting out a sigh. "Four more sets… hurray…" she murmured to herself, backing away from the bar. She wiped the sweat from her brow, turning to grab her lifting journal from inside her bag. She froze as her eyes locked with Jaune's. He smiled, and gave her a small wave.

"Sup, Firefox!" he greeted cheerfully. Pyrrha jumped back in surprise, letting out a startled 'eep'.

"J-Jaune? W-W-what are you doing?" she stuttered nervously, blushing in embarrassment over his sudden appearance. He looked at her in confusion.

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm here to lift, of course." Pyrrha crossed her arms, composing herself. He looked at him through narrowed eyes, an annoyed pout on her face.

"I know that much, stupid! I'm talking about you sitting behind me, silently watching while I work out. Do you sneak up on girls at the gym often? I never took you for that kind of pervert." Jaune flailed his hands frantically in front of his face, blushing profusely as he realized the position he put himself in.

"No no no no no no!" he cried desperately, "It's not like that at all!" Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, eying him skeptically; she still needed convincing. Jaune scratched his face nervously, choosing his next words carefully. "You see, I'm… uh… a personal trainer back home," he explained, "So I kinda enjoy watching… people… squat?" His voice trailed off as he realized how ridiculous his explanation sounded. Pyrrha continued to stare at him with her arms crossed, seemingly unmoved by his explanation. '_I'm so done for,_' he thought to himself as Pyrrha's glare drilled into him. Suddenly, she cracked a smile and began to giggle to herself, putting a hand in front of her mouth as she began to laugh hysterically.

"That was so dorky and sincere, there's no way you could be lying," she laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. Jaune let out a deep sigh of relief, rubbing the back of his neck timidly as he looked up at her.

"It sounded that lame, huh?" he asked with an embarrassed smile. Pyrrha nodded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Mhmm… totally lame." She paused, putting a finger on her chin before pointing it at him. "Hey, so you're a personal trainer, right?"

"Yep… totally certified!" he proclaimed proudly, puffing out his chest for added effect.

"Well then, could you, maybe, watch my next set?" she asked, pointing towards the bar. He gave her a thumbs up, winking.

"Sure!" Pyrrha grinned, fists raised as she flexed her arms in front of her in determination. She walked over to the rack and began her set. Jaune watched intently as she squat, noting every detail in her movements and occasionally nodding his head. Pyrrha finished with a big sigh, wiping the sweat off of herself as she turned to face him. He looked at her, flashing a grin.

"Your daddy must have been a baker, because you've got a sweet set of buns."

"I knew you were staring at my butt!" she said accusingly. Jaune froze, all the color draining from his face as his joke was turned on him.

"W-what? No, I wasn't! It was just a joke! I swear!" he pled. Pyrrha's demeanor suddenly switched after seeing the flustered look on Jaune's face, and she laughed at him with a smile.

"Just kidding!" she giggled. "I know you weren't!" Jaune put a hand on his forehead as he leaned back, sighing in relief once again.

'_So she didn't see me after all,'_ he celebrated mentally. '_If she keeps this up, she's gonna give me a heart attack…_ ' Pyrrha frowned at Jaune, then cocked her head and put her hands on her hips.

"Sooo?" she asked impatiently, leaning forward slightly.

"So, what?" Pyrrha scowled at Jaune.

"Did I do anything wrong? You're the one who said you were personal trainer, ya know!" Jaune waved his hand nonchalantly to try and calm her.

"Okay, okay, I get it," he sighed. "You're so pushy." Pyrrha's eyes locked onto him.

"What was that?" she asked. Jaune coughed into his fist a couple of times.

"Nothing," he said quickly before clearing his throat. "Anyways, going back to your question. You did just about everything right," he paused as he scratched his head. "The only thing I noticed was that your chest dipped a bit when you bounced out of the bottom. You have to remember to keep your back tight." He stood in front of her, driving his shoulder blades together to demonstrate what he meant. Pyrrha nodded as she watched.

"So, like this?" she asked, mimicking him.

"Mmm, here," he responded, lightly touching her elbows and bringing them towards her body as opposed to facing out behind her. "Keep the elbows in. It's way easier and will help with keeping everything tight." Pyrrha jumped at Jaune's touch, her heart racing for a moment. She calmed herself, and faced Jaune once again.

"Will you watch my next set, too? I wanna make sure I'm doing it right," she asked, receiving a nod from the boy.

"Of course." She went over to the bar and did her set, getting a round of applause from Jaune after she racked the bar. "Perfect!" he exclaimed, "Those were way better." He grabbed his bag, placing it in the rack beside Pyrrha's. "I'm gonna get started. Are you all set?" Pyrrha nodded her head, and at her confirmation he immediately switched gears. As he changed his music, his smile disappeared and he became a different person. He warmed up with an empty bar, his face expressionless. He wasted no time, throwing on two 45 pound plates before placing the bar on his shoulders. Pyrrha watched in fascination as he performed each and every lift with perfect form and incredible speed. It was a breath of fresh air to see someone actually perform the lift properly. She leaned against her squat rack and grinned softly, mesmerized my Jaune's movements. Her eyes examined his body, and she suddenly caught herself staring at his butt.

'_Oh no... I'm the pervert!_' she screamed in her head as she tore her eyes away. Jaune sighed as he racked the weight and added two more 45 pound plates. He let out a sigh after securing them, then looked over at Pyrrha.

"Don't go thinking I didn't see that," he said with a playful wink.

* * *

><p>Jaune finished squatting about 10 minutes after Pyrrha, but she waited for him so they could spot each other while they bench pressed. In between sets, they talked about anything and everything. They talked about their favorite movies, sports teams, protein powders, and even nerdy things like the best scenes from Space Wars. Pyrrha laughed at all of his jokes, even the ones that weren't all that funny. Whenever he made a joke about her, she'd try to hit him before countering with a joke of her own. Even after they had finished and the weights were away, they sat on the bench and laughed as Jaune told another story about his dad.<p>

"So for my birthday one year, he made me a cake. What could go wrong with a cake, right?" Pyrrha nodded as she waited for the punchline, still chuckling from the previous story. "Well, it said 'Happy Birthday, Jaune!' on top. But of course, when I spin the cake around… a giant 'YOU'RE GAY!' is written on the side in blue icing." Pyrrha went into a fit of laughter.

"No way! I don't believe you!" she exclaimed, hitting his shoulder playfully. Jaune smirked and took out his phone from his bag, swiping through the pictures. He found the one of his birthday cake, and showed it to her.

"OH. MY. GOD," Pyrrha managed to cry in between laughs. She held her stomach as tears formed in her eyes; she'd never seen something so funny. Jaune joined in, and slowly looked back down at the phone. His heart sank a little as he read the time; it was 2:35, and his date was at 3:00. As much as he wanted to stay and continue to hang out with Pyrrha, he couldn't stand up Weiss. Doing something like that was completely against his ideals.

"Ugh, damn it," he muttered. "Pyrrha, I have to get going." He got up and began to gather his things, not noticing the frown the redhead wore.

"Aw, really? Why?" Pyrrha asked, a bit stunned by how forward she sounded, "I-I mean, you didn't even stretch out yet! That's bad for you!" Jaune let out a loud sigh and sucked his teeth.

"Thanks for lookin' out for me, Fireball. The walk back is just going to have to be enough, I guess," Jaune sighed, "I sorta have a date with Weiss in like a half hour." He smiled sheepishly as Pyrrha nodded in recollection.

"Ah, I remember," she said, suppressing the slight bit of jealousy that swirled in her chest. "Well, have fun… Oh!" she exclaimed, "Would you, Sun and Ren like to come over again tonight? Yang would love to see you all!" Her face turned slightly pink at Jaune's bright grin.

"Of course, I'll tell them! Here, what's your number?" Jaune asked, bringing his phone back out, "That way you can tell me what time you want us there." Pyrrha happily exchanged numbers with Jaune, smiling as he begged her to put "Jaune 'effing' Arc" as his contact name.

"Alright awesome," he said, stuffing his phone into his pocket, "lemme know when you want us to come by!"

"Will do," Pyrrha responded, "You better get going, or you're gonna be late!"

"Y-Yeah, you're right," Jaune said, "Later!" He began to walk towards the stairwell, but stopped and turned back to the emerald eyes girl, who was still sitting on the bench. "Hey, we're friends right? I can be honest with you?" he asked suddenly.

"Yeah, of course," she replied, tilting her head in curiosity.

"I'd much rather be going to a nice post-workout lunch with you, protein shakes and all!" he said, smiling when he saw her look away and her face turn red. '_Cute,'_ he thought, "Well, wish me luck."

"Good luck," Pyrrha said quickly, not daring show her face to him. Once she knew he was gone, she looked back up. '_Dammit._'

* * *

><p>Jaune rushed to his dorm, trying to get ready for his date as quickly as possible. After taking a quick shower he threw on a blue button down shirt and some khaki pants, ignoring the look Sun gave him as he ran out the door. He headed towards Ridley's Place, which was in the center of campus. All he was focused on was trying to let Weiss off easy. It was obvious to him that she showed some attraction, but he was sure it was due to him saving her last night. He wanted to clear things up and make sure she was okay with just being friends. Upon arriving to the restaurant he straightened his shirt, which felt strangely tight. Then, he remembered the look Sun was giving him.<p>

'_Yep, this is Sun's shirt_.' The shirt was practically a second skin around his chest and arms; he was sure that if he flexed hard enough or crossed his arms, the shirt would rip. It was too late now, it was already 3:02. He accepted his fate, and after not seeing Weiss anywhere outside of the building, decided to walk inside.

"Hi, did a girl with white hair come in here?" he asked the hostess, "I'm supposed to meet her." The hostess's eyes widened at Jaune's tight shirt, taking a few moments to admire his muscles. He blinked a few times and snapped out of it, smiling with a nod before, leading him to a small square table, the girl in question sitting on one side. Weiss gave Jaune a very small smile when he sat down.

"Hey, Weiss!" Jaune began, trying to disguise the fact he was, "So, how are-"

"Why are you late?" Weiss asked, in a somewhat annoyed manner.

"O-Oh, I went to the gym and lost track of time…" Jaune answered, leaving bits and pieces out intentionally. "I'm sorry!" Weiss narrowed her eyes at Jaune, making him sink in his seat a bit. She eventually relented and let out a sigh, replacing her annoyed expression with one of relief.

"I thought you wouldn't come!" she reasoned, giving him another smile, "Your shirt looks a little small by the way." She laughed a little when Jaune blushed, shifting around in his seat as he tried to adjust the shirt.

"Yeah, it's Sun's. Whoops," he let out a grin and picked up the menu, Weiss doing the same. They shared little facts about themselves as they browsed, eventually picking out their meals. Jaune would occasionally make a little pun or joke about something on the menu, making Weiss giggle cutely and look at the boy admirably. Once they were all set and ordered, awaiting their food, Weiss sparked up the conversation to something other than what their major or interests were.

"So, I was wondering if you and your friends would like to come to our dorm again tonight?" she asked, fixing her posture and placing her napkin on her lap. "We all agreed it was a good time and would very much like for all of you to come." Jaune smiled and nodded, copying what she was doing with her napkin. He usually went to restaurants his dad, so he was a bit rusty when it came to table etiquette.

"Of course!" he answered, taking a sip of water, "Pyrrha already invited-" He stopped and met Weiss' piercing gaze. Weiss was also taking a sip of water, and stopped as soon as she heard Pyrrha's name. She placed her water glass down softly and crossed her arms.

"Did she now? And when did you see her?" Jaune was in deep now. If his dad ever taught him anything, it'd be to never, ever, talk about another girl when on a date. He would normally try to change the subject or worm his way out, but the look Weiss was giving him told him there was no way.

"O-Oh… uh…" he scratched the back of his head, "At the gym." He bit his lip in anticipation. While he didn't necessarily feel anything towards this girl, he didn't want to be rude.

"Oh, so you two went to the gym together?" Weiss asked, her tone sharp, "Two dates with two different girls in one day, huh? What, you think you can have your own harem!?" Jaune sat back in his seat as she raised her voice. He tried to hush her before he spoke.

"N-No, Weiss! She just happened to be there when I went! I swear!" he explained, his voice sincere. However Weiss was still crossing her arms, narrowing her eyes at the blond boy.

"What is she to you?" she asked suddenly.

"W-What-?"

"Pyrrha. What is she?" Jaune wasn't sure where this was going, but her tone said it all. She knew something, and didn't like it.

"She's just a friend…" Jaune said, his hands in front of him to display his confusion, "What does it matter? We just met, we're all friends here!"

"Well, she must be something considering you're her 'Knight in shining armor.'" Jaune froze in shock. Due to the heat of the moment, he completely forgot about that; he completely forgot that Weiss was present when he said all of that to Pyrrha. He watched Weiss pout a little and furrow her brow, "Why hers? You saved _me_. You should be _my_ knight. You're on a date with _me_, not her." Jaune was taken aback by her forwardness and selfishness. What gave her the right to entitle him to her?

"Weiss, I was drunk! I don't remember any of that!" Jaune was careful with what he said next.

"Well, at least you remembered our date," Weiss stated, the sarcastic nature of her statement not getting past Jaune. He only smiled, folding his arms as he leaned back in his seat.

"Yeah, I did remember it," Jaune countered, "Now, are you gonna yell at me some more about who I choose to befriend, or are we gonna enjoy it?" Weiss gave Jaune a stern look before softening up at his pout.

"You're too cute to stay mad at," she said, "and that shirt really helps. Borrow Sun's clothes more often."

"You watch too many romantic comedies."

"I do not! What makes you say that!?" At that moment Weiss gave an icy stare at a girl who was checking Jaune out, making the girl quickly look away. Jaune turned around to see what happened and laughed.

"See that!? That's why!" Jaune chuckled, holding his hands out in front, "Calm down, I'm here with you aren't I?"

"I suppose," Weiss admitted, leaning in. She lowered her voice to a whisper, "Look, I've never done this before. Yang made me! She said that I need to be aggressive and make sure your attention is 100% on me."

"Did she?" Jaune said, tilting his head. "I may have to have a talk with her."

Their food finally arrived and they conversed between bites, mostly telling each other their interests, dislikes and things of that manner. Once they finished they waited for the bill, Jaune convincing Weiss that she didn't need to pay a cent. Once they left they began to walk towards their dorm campuses; Weiss made sure that her left hand, the hand closest to Jaune, was at her side and visible. She wanted him to take action and hold her hand, to which Jaune caught on immediately, thinking, '_Yep, too many romantic comedies._' He left her hanging, and prepared himself for his next move.

"Weiss, this was nice," he began, scratching his head as he smiled down at her, "I look forward to being your friend." Jaune bit his lip in anticipation of how the girl would react. He watched as she removed her hand from her side and put it in front of her.

"Y-Yeah," she stuttered, "Me too." She looked down at the ground in defeat, disheartened. Jaune couldn't help but feel bad, but he knew it was best. He couldn't string her along like he had so many times before with other girls. He sighed, then saw that she stopped walking. He turned around and met her gaze. She stomped up to him and put her finger on his chest.

"Playing hard to get? Yang said you would," Weiss stated, making Jaune's eyes go wide in fear, "Now I just have to try harder." Jaune was going to have a very serious talk with Yang tonight.

* * *

><p>"COVER IT!" Yang yelled into her headset, "I SWEAR TO GOD!" Yang was playing the "Rush" gametype in Field of Battle 4 with everyone as her audience. They would cheer every time she got a kill and Jaune would occasionally offer some advice, which usually led to him getting a playful punch in the arm. The drinking game tonight was every time Yang died in game or yelled at the screen everyone would take a sip of their drink, and every time she rage-quit they had to take a big gulp. After only 15 minutes, Yang's poor skills and short temper had managed to get the entire room sufficiently tipsy. At 45 minutes, Pyrrha had to shut the console off before Yang caused someone to succumb to alcohol poisoning. Yang sighed angrily, but let it happen and reclined into the couch. Jaune took the opportunity to speak to Yang about her shenanigans with Weiss, to which she only smiled and admitted to.<p>

"What? Not my fault she digs ya. It was just way too easy," Yang confessed, "She watches way too many romantic movies so she might be a little blinded because of your heroics, but, hey, she's cute, right?"

"I guess," Jaune stated, "But telling her to fight for me? C'mon! I don't want anything more than a friendship!"

"Alright, alright. Maybe that was a bit much," Yang admitted, "I don't expect you to get with her. But there's a reason why I told her to do that. Just trust me."

"No, spill it!" Jaune exclaimed, playfully poking Yang's stomach, "Why would you do that to me!"

Yang giggled at the poke, "This isn't aimed at you."

"Then who!?" Yang stayed quiet as she smirked at Jaune. "Yang!"

"Not tellin'." Yang immediately turned away and began to walk towards Sun, who wore a smile as he waved to Jaune. He couldn't be more confused. Why would she plot this if it wasn't to make it hard on him? Who else would have a hard time with it? It made no sense, so he made himself a new drink and sat with Nora and Ren, who were chatting with Blake and Adam. As soon as he sat down, though, a white blur ran to him and sat on his lap.

"Hi, Jaune!" a drunk Weiss exclaimed, "Did I thank you for saving me yet?"

"Yes, like a _milllllllion_ times," Jaune groaned, trying to push the girl off of him. "Come on, this isn't cool Weiss. I just want to be your friend!"

"No, no, you're just playing hard to get." Weiss was beyond reason at this point, so Jaune just continued to push her off. She kept coming back, making everyone in the room chuckle; everyone but one person. Weiss sat on the arm of the couch, a little too close for Jaune's comfort. She played with his hair as Jaune tried to slap her hands away.

"Jaune… I don't think I thanked-"

"Weiss, shut up." The voice that spoke was not Jaune's. Pyrrha walked over and placed her hands on the white haired girls shoulders, "I think you need to drink some water." Yang was in the background, a completely stunned look plastered across her face.

"W-Why!? I.. I'm fine!" Weiss slurred, proving to everything that she was anything but that.

"Weiss, you should listen to Pyrrha," Blake added, "You've had a bit too much." Weiss narrowed her eyes as she scanned everyones faces.

"Fine," she relented. Jaune relaxed as she got up, and Weiss used the opportunity to quickly turn around and plant a small kiss on his cheek. He put his hand on his face and sighed deeply as Sun pat his back, trying hard not to laugh. He then bought his drink to his lips and took a few chugs, "I need a stronger drink for this shit." He was getting up to fix himself something stronger, but sat back down when Pyrrha sat on the table in front of Jaune, Nora and Ren.

"So how'd your date go?" she asked the blond sarcastically. Jaune just shrugged and smirked.

"Perfect! Couldn't you tell?" He laughed as he saw her smile.

"You two really seemed to hit it off," Ren added with a grin, "I take it she doesn't wanna just be friends?"

"Nope," Jaune answered, sipping his drink.

"Thank Yang for that," Blake chimed in, "last night she thought it'd be a good idea after you guys left to give her some dating advice."

"Yeah!" Nora agreed, "And to think this is all just a big plan to get Pyrrha to admit-" Nora stopped talking when she saw Blake making the "cut throat" signal. Her eyes went wide in realization as she watched Pyrrha grow red.

"To get Pyrrha to admit what?" Jaune asked.

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Break free from all that holds you<strong>_

_**Kings hand and maiden's tear**_

_**Run now into my arms**_

_**Together we'll conquer our fears"**_

* * *

><p><strong>So, we'll try to get the next chapter out sooner. <strong>

**Hope you enjoyed this one, though. Maybe. No? Alright.**

**Next time: CH9: The Bonds We Share**


	9. The Bonds We Share

**Wow this is coming out late. Ahhhh sorry, exams and stuff kinda got in the way. To make up for it, this chapter's preeeeetty long!**

**The next chapter won't take as long, promise. Also, I made a tumblr, "ReasonableName". Follow that because I'm going to start posting snippets, ideas as well as updates about chapters!**

**Anyway, hope you liiiiiiike it.**

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><p><em><strong>"The truth is, it is all your memories, the joyful ones and the heartbreaking ones that make up who you are as a person."<strong>_

* * *

><p>"Mommy." The little boy whispered.<p>

"Mommy." A little louder this time.

"Yes," she responds quietly.

He paused, his giant eyes twinkling in the dim light.

"I love you."

And just like that, he is gone. Scampered back to his room. But, his words still hang in the cool night air. If she could reach out and snatch them, she would grab his words and hug them to her chest. His soft voice whispering the best sentence in the world.

'_I love you_.'

A frown spreads across her lips and she slowly exhales, almost afraid to blow the memory away. She picks up her keys and heads for the door.

* * *

><p>The next two and a half weeks flew by for everyone. Wrestling began for Jaune, and every other day he was training with his team and getting ready for the first match in a few weeks. Pyrrha and Yang were both busy as well, each joining the MMA club and Boxing clubs respectively. The MMA club was unisex, so Pyrrha joined with no issues. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Yang and the Boxing club; to join, she had to knock out three members. She did so in under four minutes, grinning the whole time.<p>

Ren was able to convince Sun to join the Atlasian Jiu-Jitsu club with him, looking forward to sparring and getting to know each other on a much more personal basis. Nora joined the female Rugby club, which surprised no one, and she actually became the team's starting full-back. Weiss' choices were also very predictable; she joined both the fencing team and Nevermore, the famous on-campus female a capella group. Blake at first tried to convince Adam to join the book club, but he managed to dodge that bullet my introducing her the parkour club. Although she was unbelievably agile and had inhuman balance, she stubbornly maintained that it "wasn't her thing." It took two trial practices and a foot rub from Adam to get her to relent and finally join.

* * *

><p>It was Tuesday, and Jaune sat in his philosophy class. Typically, he would find this type of class utterly repulsive and boring, but his professor made it the most intriguing class he'd ever taken. Professor Iroh was a rather large, balding man with a grey beard, and he put what little hair he did have in a bun.<p>

"Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel, you can't always see the light at the end, but if you just keep moving, you will come to a better place," Iroh said, picking up his cup of tea to take a sip. Jaune always found it odd that instead of a regular coffee mug, Professor Iroh preferred a traditional oriental tea cup. However, it was Iroh's eccentricity which made him so interesting and engaging. He had stories that would stay with Jaune the whole day, some of which he'd even tell to his friends. It was like a breath of fresh air taking this class; compared to having to memorize the parts of the urinary tract for biology or the Lewis structure of magnesium carbonate for chemistry, this class taught moral lessons that Jaune found incredibly interesting.

The class carried on and eventually Iroh wrapped class up about a story of a prince and a monk. Jaune walked outside, adjusting the straps of his backpack while he thought about the quote Professor Iroh had said at the beginning of class.

'_If I just keep on moving, I'll be in a better place…_' He looked gravely into the cloudless sky, letting the sun warm his face. He was having some weird dreams lately. They all seemed to revolve around his early childhood and, for some strange reason, always involved his mother; at least what he remembered of her. He thought going to college would help him rid himself of the memories, but he was wrong. That was another reason he enjoyed Professor Iroh's class so much- the lessons he taught helped Jaune pick up the pieces of his past and try to make sense of his life. They were helping Jaune move on after all these years. They were helping him finally understand.

'_Why did she leave?_'

His pondering was interrupted by a buzz in his pocket.

_11:56 Ren: Hey Jaune, Blake wants to get together to study for that psychology exam coming up. You want to join? Jaune let a smile creep over his lips._

"_Sure, come to my room in a hour. I'll let Blake know, and if I'm not there Sun will let you in_." Jaune texted the information to Blake and Sun, then put his phone back in his pocket. He let out a sigh as he began to walk back to his dorm, remembering just how much he hated psychology.

* * *

><p>Ren put his phone back in his pocket before looking back up at Nora, who stared at him with wide, curious eyes from across the table.<p>

"Soooo?" Nora asked Ren impatiently, "What'd he say?"

"He said to meet him at his dorm in an hour." At this, Nora pouted and crossed her arms.

"Darn… I was really hoping he'd say no," she said as she pointed a finger at him. "You spent all this time studying in this boring library, and now we only have an hour to do fun stuff!" Ren chuckled at the girl's childish demeanor. It was always about fun for her, which he didn't mind one bit. Somehow, she managed to get excellent marks in all of her classes without much studying.

"Well, since we only have an hour, where do you want to go?" Ren posed, which made Nora go into deep contemplation. She squinted and brought a fist to her chin as she weighed all of her options, carefully choosing one; after about 30 seconds, her eyes lit up and she turned to Ren with a giant smile on her face.

"I know! Let's go to Garnet Park and feed the ducks!" Ren's eyes widened a little, and he looked at Nora, a bit surprised at her response.

"What? The pond?" he asked, receiving a nod from Nora. "That's an unusually normal request for you." She looked at him innocently, tilting her head.

"If you want, we can go arm wrestle strangers again," she offered. Ren laughed and shook his head.

"No, no. I'd rather not have you put any more boys in the infirmary. Duck feeding it is." She smiled and threw her fist in the air with a loud "yay!" They left the library together, and began walking towards Garnet Park on the eastern part of campus. Nora skipped in front of Ren as they walked, and about halfway there he realized they had nothing to actually give the ducks to eat. Believing she had forgotten, Ren was about to tell Nora when she suddenly spun around to face him.

"There's a convenience store on the way, so we can get bread there!" Ren chuckled to himself, nodding to her.

'_Of course she didn't forget_,' he thought to himself, 's_he always has her eye on the ball_.' They continued to walk, and after ten minutes Garnet Park was finally in sight. To their left sat the convenience store Nora talked about. They stopped inside, and Ren watched as Nora sprinted off towards the aisle with the bread. He sighed when she reappeared, eight loaves of bread in hand and a giant grin on her face. He managed to convince Nora that one loaf was enough, then paid the clerk before leaving. Nora hugged the bread, humming to herself happily while she strolled alongside Ren. They roamed through the park for a bit, and Nora eventually picked a bench near the water. The two of them sat, and Nora immediately opened the bread bag. Her eyes sparkled when she noticed all of the ducks swimming over to them.

"Remember Nora, you have to rip the bread into pieces so it's easier for them to eat."

"Okay, Ren!" she answered, tearing slices of bread into chunks before tossing them into the water. The ducks swarmed the soggy bits of bread, and Nora watched in fascination as they devoured them. Ren looked at the girl with a soft grin as she giggled. He leaned back, closing his eyes and enjoying the warm sunlight hitting his face. The slight breeze that flowed through his hair felt great, and the quiet wake of the water was incredibly soothing. After some time, he was struck out from his trance by a poke to his shoulder.

"Yes, Nora?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"I was wondering… why haven't Pyrrha and Jaune gotten together already?" Ren opened his eyes, surprised by the girl's question.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's just… it seems pretty obvious that they both like each other, so whats the big deal?" Ren scanned the area, his eyes resting on the water. He thought about her question for a couple of seconds before answering her.

"It's not always so easy for people to come to terms with their feelings, especially people like those two. To me, it seems they've always counted on their own strength for everything. Just being around the two since we've been here has shown me that they're headstrong and independent people. The idea of relying on others is something foreign for them, and they're probably not sure how to approach it." Nora pouted, pursing her lips as she tossed pieces of bread into the pond.

"Well I think that's dumb. If you like someone and they make you happy, you should be with them," she asserted, turning to Ren. "Like you and me!" Ren smiled at the girl, admiring the way she was always able to break things down to their most simplest form.

"Yes, just like you and I." They sat there together for a little while longer, throwing bread until only three slices remained. Ren glanced at his watch, then sighed softly before standing up. Nora looked at him curiously as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"I've got to get going over to Jaune's now. It's almost time for the study group." Nora frowned, slumping slightly on the bench.

"Already?" she moped, "That was the shortest hour ever!" She continued grumbling to herself, and Ren couldn't help chuckle playfully at the girl. He closed his eyes and raised his arms as he stretched out his back. His body stiffened and he blushed slightly as Nora suddenly embraced him in a tight hug. "I'm gonna get bored without you, so you'd better hurry back. If you take too long, I'll bust in there and get you!"

"Y-Yeah, I know you will," he laughed, returning her hug. She smiled at him, and he pat her head to reassure her. He let go of him, and sat back down on her bench.

"Hurry up, now!" she ordered as she tore up some more bread. "The sooner you get there, the sooner you get back." He grinned and let out a sigh, tossing her a wave before turning around and walking back towards the dorms. He stopped at the end of the path right at the entrance to Garnet Park and looked back. Ren smiled warmly and shook his head as he watched Nora chase a gagging boy around with a piece of wet bread in her hand, then continued to Jaune's dorm.

* * *

><p>Jaune cursed to himself as he ran down the sidewalks towards his dorm. On his way home from class, he ran into a couple of his new wrestling friends. They invited him to get a bite to eat, and before he knew it he'd wasted an hour and a half talking and joking with them. Jaune swiped his key card and burst through the front doors of his building, sprinting up the steps to the third floor. He paused at outside the door to his room for a couple of seconds to catch his breath, then turned to door knob.<p>

"Sorry I'm late guys," he apologized as he walked into the room, smiling embarrassedly. "I just…" He stopped mid-sentence when his gaze fell upon Blake and Ren, both of whom sat casually on the futon. Papers and books were piled high on top of the coffee table in front of them. Their attention wasn't focused there, however, but rather at the tv which was currently displaying an episode of Gurren Lagann, one of Jaune's all time favorite animes. He turned to them in utter confusion, only to be met by a small wave from the two of them.

"Hey," Blake greeted with a smile, "We finished up and you still weren't here, so Sun showed us where you hide all of your 'otaku stuff' as he called it." Jaune stiffened, blushing in embarrassment.

"He did, huh? Why would he do that out of nowhere?" Ren raised his hand slightly.

"Sorry, that was probably because of me. I commented on your Attack on Titan wall scroll, and kind of mentioned my love for anime. I guess he took it as a cue to reveal your hidden stash." Ren grinned at Jaune. "I have to say, you have quite the collection here." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly as he accepted the compliment. He stopped suddenly, and a puzzled look came over his face before he turned his attention to Blake.

"Wait, since when did you watch anime, Blake? he asked curiously, receiving a shy smile from the dark haired girl.

"Well, to be honest, you're the one who got me into it," she giggled at Jaune's completely bewildered expression before elaborating her explanation, "I noticed your obsession with it back in high school, and I became curious. By the end of senior year, I was secretly obsessed myself. I even write fanfics occasionally."

"Wow," Jaune marveled, "I have to say, I definitely would have never pegged you for an anime fan." He made his way over to the futon, tossing his bag on his bed before plopping down in between the two. Ren looked at him with a slight frown.

"Do you want to, perhaps, study with us? We're done, but I'd be happy study some more." Jaune shook his head and shrugged.

"Nah, it's okay. I don't really need it too badly, so I'll just go over all that crap later since he posts all the lectures online." His eyes glinted, and he motioned towards the tv screen. "This is the part where it starts getting really good." They watched as the characters on screen did battle in their giant mechas. The trio sat mesmerized as the new characters were introduced and the plot began to pick up. After two more episodes, Blake finally broke the engaged silence.

"This series is… pretty good," she commented, making Jaune laugh.

"Trust me, this is nothing. It gets sooo much better its ridiculous."

"I mean, these characters are all so different and likeable. I especially love Yoko. She's a badass!" Ren smiled, putting his hand to his chin.

"She's definitely one tough redhead," he agreed. An idea sparked in his brain as the words left his mouth, and he grinned to himself. "Anyways...Jaune, how are things with you and Weiss?" Jaune groaned, leaning back and rubbing his forehead.

"Ugh, you totally killed my mood," he complained, "She's gotten a little better, thankfully, but not much. I'm trying to be a clear as possible about wanting to only be friends while still being a gentleman, but she just refuses to listen."

"So she's still on you, huh?"

"Yep… thankfully Pyrrha is usually around to step in to stop her before she gets too out of hand." At this, both Ren's and Blake's eyebrows raised.

"Is that so..." commented Blake with a smirk. Both she and Ren began to laugh, and Jaune furrowed his brow.

"I don't get it. What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing." Ren said with a chuckle. "Let's just go back to the tv. We're missing it." The anime continued on, and suddenly an incredibly intense battle was taking place. Jaune and Ren watched casually, while Blake sat on the edge of her seat in amazement. The episode ended, and Blake was nearly in tears.

"H-He died!?" she whimpered, "Why would they do that? What's going to happen to Simon and the group now?" Ren stretched his legs before standing.

"I'm not sure. That definitely took a serious turn. I'd love to continue watching, but it's 4:30 and Nora is really going to kill me if I don't get going." Blake looked at her phone and gasped.

"Oh wow, it actually is. I really want to see what happens next!" Jaune laughed.

"I told you you'd love it. Tell you what, why don't we hang out regularly? Just the three of us! We can watch and talk about anime. It'll be like our own little club." Ren folded his arms and nodded, and Blake clasped her hands together in excitement.

"Really? Okay, that sounds cool!" Jaune watched the two as they walked to the door.

"Yep! I'll text you guys tonight so we can figure out details like when and where." He raised his fist triumphantly. "I hereby declare the formation of our Anime Club!"

* * *

><p>"What movie do you think the guys will wanna see?"<p>

"Oh! Is Little Soldier Boy still playing!?"

"Let me see…" Pyrrha typed away on her laptop, trying to find the times of the movies that were shown at the theater on campus. It had been a tough couple of weeks; among studying, lifting sessions with Jaune, the training that came from the MMA club and her father's training regimen, she almost never had any downtime. NOW that she had managed to secure some, she decided she would spend it with her best friends. She eventually found the movie Yang was talking about, and smiled when she read that there were still tickets available. "Yep! There's a showing at 7:05, so text them to see if that's okay!"

"You got it," Yang said as she whipped out her phone, sending out a text to Sun and Jaune in their exclusive group message. Pyrrha had wanted to invite everyone else in the group, but Yang debated against that. She said that just them four going would allow them to "strengthen their bonds," to which Pyrrha just rolled her eyes and nodded to.

She thought about Jaune for a moment as the screen of her laptop switched over to FaceNovel. There was a picture of the two of them from two weekends ago, outside of her building after a party; Jaune was in a black polo and khaki shorts, Pyrrha in a blue blouse and jeans. Jaune has his hand around her waist and smiled brightly, Pyrrha's torso was turned towards him with her hand on his chest as she too smiled cheekily towards the camera. She let out a small chuckle at the photo, remembering the night they had their first successful party outside of the room. It was also the night the two shared a dance together; while Pyrrha never really considered grinding an appropriate dance, Yang had convinced her that it was when with the right person. With the help of Nora, Blake and Sun, Yang was able to get Jaune and Pyrrha together for a couple of songs. It was without a doubt awkward, but fun nonetheless; and it made everyone in their group, excluding Weiss, very happy. She learned that even in a situation such as that, a scene where 9 out of 10 guys would try to pull something of a risque manner, Jaune was always that one that wouldn't. From the beginning she knew he was a gentleman, and he never failed to maintain that.

Since that night they only grew closer, and while she still was uncomfortable sharing some things with hi, and vice versa, he was definitely one of the best friends she had ever had. The thing was, she wasn't so sure if she wanted to remain just friends anymore. She'd finally accepted her feeling and admitted them to herself. Only herself though; letting Yang know she was right would never go down easily. Her refusal to admit her crush aloud only further encouraged Yang to push Weiss onto Jaune, but thankfully it still went nowhere. Pyrrha continued to grin at the photo, but a shiver went down her spine as she saw Yang's smug face reflected on her screen.

"Lookin' at that photo of you and your boyfriend again, eh?" Yang teased, ruffling Pyrrha's hair. Pyrrha closed the tab and immediately fixed her red mane while she scowled at Yang, who was giggling to herself.

"For the hundredth time, he's not my boyfriend," Pyrrha countered, crossing her arms, "Why won't you give it up?"

"Because you two would be cute together, and I won't rest until I see the cuteness," Yang brought her left fist down onto her open right palm like a hammer. Since the night where Nora almost spilled the beans, Yang had been bringing Jaune up every chance she got with Pyrrha. If Pyrrha was taking a shower, Yang would throw a picture of Jaune into the stall. If Pyrrha was eating, she'd find a picture of Jaune mixed into her sandwich. Yang had even started putting pictures of him in Pyrrha's underwear drawer, which Pyrrha thought was hilarious, but still scolded Yang over it for an entire week.

"He's a great friend," Pyrrha stated, her eyes looking away and towards the floor, "Nothing more." Yang smirked and walked towards the redhead, placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Pyrrha," she cooed, "I've got it all under control. The first step has just been taken." Pyrrha cocked her head to the side and her eyes went wide.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked in a panicked tone, her heart rate beginning to increase. Yang held up her phone, only to Pyrrha's confusion, it wasn't her yellow ePhone… it was a red one. Pyrrha gasped as she tried to grab the phone, "What did you do?!"

"Oh, nothing," Yang said, tossing Pyrrha's phone to her, "Check the group chat." Pyrrha did as instructed, seeing the message Yang sent to Jaune and Sun.

_6:21 Pyrrha: Hey guys! Wanna go see a movie at 7:05 with me and Yang?_

"Now check the message you sent Jauney-boy," Yang purred when Pyrrha looked up at her. Pyrrha once again followed orders and opened up her text thread with Jaune, he eyes going wide.

_6:21 Pyrrha: Will you be my date for the movie? We can snuggle up!_

* * *

><p>The sun was setting as Jaune and Sun walked towards the theater to meet Pyrrha and Yang. Jaune was still disappointed when he received the follow up text, "J<em>AUNE, THAt was Yang! But yes come to the theater at 7:05!<em>" from Pyrrha. He let out a sigh, thinking about her. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

He had admitted his feelings for Pyrrha to himself when he was having one of his "shower thinks," where he would just let the warm water rush over him as he lost himself in thought. It was as simple as "I like her." There was no denying it, she was everything Jaune imagined she would be. Apart from her physical beauty, she had a heart of gold. Kind, caring, confident, funny… Jaune could list her attributes for days. He thought she was perfect… but he couldn't let her know that.

'_But she doesn't even seem interested in me in that way_,' he concluded one restless night, '_I guess I really am friendzoned_.' Jaune didn't even know what he would do if she did feel that way about him. He never really felt such a strong liking towards a girl before- there was the crush Blake in high school, but it wasn't the same as this. This was a whole new animal, and one that made Jaune nervous beyond measure. He didn't like feeling vulnerable, and he hated the fact that Pyrrha was able to make him feel that way.

The thoughts raced through his head as they walked, the air cooling his skin as the rays of sunlight became sparse. Sun had been talking about something since they left the room, but Jaune just tuned him out.

"Hey, Jaune!? Hellooooo, still with me bud?" Sun waved his hand in front of Jaune's stoic face. The blond blinked a few times before sheepishly grinning at Sun's scowl. "Were you listening?"

"No," Jaune bluntly responded, laughing, "What's up?" Sun sighed a bit and shook his head.

"I was saying that this movie is gonna _suuuuuck_," Sun complained, "Little Soldier Boy!? Come on!"

"It's Disney, and I'm looking forward to seeing it," Jaune responded, patting Sun on the back, "It's not like you're gonna watch it anyway. What, with Yang there and everything." Jaune grinned as he watched the faunus boy perk up.

"Oh yeah…" He smiled brightly at Jaune, who could only shake his head.

"How could you forget something like that?" Jaune scolded playfully, "Do you know how many guys wish they were in your position?"

"At least six or seven."

"You're an idiot." It all started last weekend at the "second successful party" they went to. Yang had invited Sun to dance, and the next thing everyone knew, the two were making out on the wall. Nora made sure everyone was aware by taking pictures of the scene and sending them to everyone. While most people would be incredibly embarrassed, Sun and Yang were perfectly okay with everyone knowing they hooked up; it wasn't like they tried covering it up, because after they all returned to the quad to hang out, Yang brought Sun into her room for a while.

"_We didn't so anything past first base_," Sun explained when he and Jaune returned to their room that night, "_She's not a trashy girl, she's kinda strict about that stuff… in a playful way_."

* * *

><p>"Oh, there they are! Hey!" Yang called over to the two blond boys walking towards them. It had been obvious that they already saw them, but Yang always wanted to be loud. She ran up to Sun and hugged him tight, making Jaune and Pyrrha smile at the cute scene before them. Pyrrha walked over to Jaune and did the same, taking note that his hair smelt like apples as her stomach filled with butterflies.<p>

"Hi," she said cutely, "I'm glad you could come."

"Me too!" Jaune responded, flashing his trademark grin, "I've been wanting to see this movie for a while!" This made both Yang and Pyrrha smile.

"Jaune Arc, the super angry lifter guy at the gym, is excited to see a kiddie movie?" Pyrrha asked before Yang could.

"Yeah, why not! I grew up on these things, and some things you just don't grow out of!" Jaune made a good point, and everyone nodded their head in agreement.

The four chatted a little bit about general topics as they walked inside the theater and waited in line to purchase tickets. Sun and Yang were talking about the clubs they joined, while Jaune and Pyrrha were still talking about Disney films. Despite their age, the two both enjoyed the films immensely. Once they purchased tickets they sat right in the middle of the theater, getting the best seats they could possibly find.

The movie began soon after, and the four of them began munching on the snacks they bought. After the first few minutes, Jaune and Pyrrha were already invested in the movie, much more so than Sun and Yang.

"Hey can you pass the-" Jaune stopped whispering when he noticed he was talking to an empty seat. He furrowed his brow and looked around the theater, spotting the two in one of the upper rows, their faces attached to one another. "Of course." He smiled, glancing over at the red haired girl beside him.

"Guess that just leaves the two of us," Jaune said quietly, getting her attention.

"Huh?" she responded, looking past Jaune to see two empty seats. "Don't tell me you didn't see that coming."

"I did. Well, I guess that makes this a date now," Jaune smiled slyly over to the girl, masking his nervousness.

"I guess so," Pyrrha agreed, returning the smile.

"I'm a lucky boy then." Jaune's words made Pyrrha thankful that the boy couldn't hear how loud her heart was beating over the sounds of the movie. They both laughed awkwardly before returning their attention to the film, and Pyrrha would sometimes catch Jaune looking at something in her direction out of the corner of her eye. She hoped that he was looking at her, but the glances were too short to tell. Most of her attention was spent on the film, however; it was about a young boy, his mother and his military father. The film started off happy and cheery, but took a twist when the boy's father died a little later on in the film. The plot then followed the boy as he went on adventures of his own, reliving his father's stories through his imagination and toys; in parallel, it also followed the boy's deteriorating relationship with his mother as he grew older and joined the military himself, trying to follow in his father's footsteps.

"_You promised you wouldn't join_," the mother yelled, "_but you lied and broke that promise! I won't forgive you!_"

"_You made me promise when I was young..._" the boy, now twenty, said calmly before his face erupted in anger, "_Then you left!_" The boy was teary-eyed, "_You should be the one apologizing! I lived with my Aunt and Uncle for ten years while you threw your life away! You're the one who gave up working after dad died… I'm his living legacy! I accepted you back after everything, but I realize how much of a mistake I made._"

"_W-William… I just want you to succeed! I don't want you to fail, I want you to come home and stay!_" the mother yelled back, but was overtaken once again.

"_Ever since dad died you've done NOTHING with your life! The one who couldn't move on and do what they want, failing in life… is YOU!_" The teen roared back, making his mother gasp.

"_Quit forcing your failures on me!_" The son's fists clenched up and his eyes turned red, "_And stop blaming my father's death on me! You never loved him! You replaced him within a week, you tramp! You're not my mother, and you never will be! A real mother doesn't leave her boy alone!_" The boy ran off and started his car, driving away from his mothers house.

Pyrrha held back tears as the scene unfolded, but looked over when he heard a heated breath come from Jaune. She looked over to him to see he had the same expression she had, eyes still glued to the screen, yet she noticed a single drop of water roll down his cheek, shimmering in the reflected light from the movie screen. She smiled lightly at the sight of such a tough boy crying, and without thinking, she rest her head on his shoulder. She suddenly felt his arm wrap around her, pulling her close, a faint, "Thanks," muttered from him.

"For what?" she whispered back, feeling the warmth emanating from him. He was silent for a few moments. The movie scene was all too familiar with Jaune only under a different context, and although he tried his best, it brought back every single memory he suppressed over the years. The lying, the screaming that tore him apart. Pyrrha's presence was the only thing that kept him from leaving the theater; it comforted him beyond belief. He knew he could tell Pyrrha the truth, but it just didn't feel right at this time.

"I don't know." he responded, his voice dry and raspy. Pyrrha caught the hint that Jaune was holding something back, but decided against asking about it. If he was going to tell her, he would on his own time. She pressed into him until she was comfortable, resting her hand on top of his in hope of settling his nerves. She had no idea how well it worked.

The movie ended as most Disney movies do, with a happy ending and everyone leaving the theater with a smile on their face. Yang and Sun had caught up with Jaune and Pyrrha, who were waiting outside of the theater. The air was cold and crisp and the sky pitch black, white stars littering it. Yang and Sun were hand in hand, bright white teeth glowing in the night as the four walked back to their dorms.

"That was a good movie," Yang said, chuckling a bit to herself.

"I agree!" Sun cheered, tightening his grip around Yang's hand. "One of the best, I must say."

"If only you watched it," Pyrrha mocked in a sarcastic tone, receiving glares from Sun and Yang.

"You're one to talk. We saw you," Yang jeered, "is Jaune cozy?" Yang's words made Pyrrha cringe and blush, and it didn't go unnoticed by Jaune. She started to stutter some excuse as to why she cuddled up to Jaune towards the end of the film, and Jaune could only smile as she did so.

"Actually, Yang," Jaune interrupted Pyrrha's rambling, "She was just comforting me. The movie struck a nerve, she was just being a great friend!" He shrugged, noticing Pyrrha's thankful eyes and smile. Yang scowled and turned her attention back to walking.

"Way to ruin my fun, cry-baby."

"Anytime, goldilocks." Jaune felt the light grasp of Pyrrha's hand on his arm, leading his eyes to her bright smile and cheerful emerald eyes.

"Thanks," she whispered, her blush deepening when Jaune wrapped his arm around her shoulders once again.

"No, thank you. You're the one who comforted me, remember?" Pyrrha smiled and looked over to Jaune's dorky grin. "But seriously, thank you." Jaune's tone got serious and his smile faded, "I really needed that."

"You're welcome, Jaune," Pyrrha replied sincerely, "I'll always be here if you need to talk." Jaune smiled and raised his eyebrows.

"Cross your heart?! Cross it!" Jaune pointed at Pyrrha's smiling face. Pyrrha brought her hand to her lips giggled at how childish Jaune truly was.

"Cross my heart."

* * *

><p>A couple of days later, the eight BU students decided to all meet in the quad to study; exams were coming up, and they were nothing like high school exams. Instead of being tested on little bits of information over a long time, they were tested on very large amounts of information in a very short time; the format was enough to even throw Pyrrha and Weiss off of their game.<p>

As it turned out, some of them were taking the same classes; Yang, Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora all studying for biology, Ren, Blake, Sun and Weiss studying for their film class. The temperature of the common room was hot and the air was filled with the chatter of the digestive system, the function of cuboidal epithelial cells, the techniques and diction of films as well as the theories of film itself. Not to mention the abundant groans in frustration coming from both study groups after hours of note taking and memorization.

"This is bullshit," Yang said irately as she slammed her fist down on her notes. "How does Professor Bunansa expect us to memorize all of this!"

"Yeah this is actually a lot," Jaune agreed, "I studied biology over the summer, but not as detailed as this guy wants us to. The entire digestive, urinary, hormonal and nervous systems along with the function of each and every organ? I'm a medical student Jim, not a biology major!" Jaune heard the muffled chuckles of Blake and Ren from across the room and felt a light punch to the shoulder from Pyrrha.

"Space Trek, really?" Pyrrha accused, "You're the worst kind of person."

"Shut up." Jaune stuck his tongue out at the red haired Mistralian then went back to his textbook and notebook, furiously taking notes. He scratched his pen as fast as he could, his handwriting small and neat; he was halfway through a word before his pen ran out of ink. He let out an unamused sigh as he scratched the tip of the pen on the margin of the paper- proving that it was indeed dry.

"Hey, anyone have an extra pen?" he asked, getting everyone's attention, "this one crapped out on me."

"There's a few on my desk," Pyrrha answered, pointing toward she and Yang's room. "Top drawer." Jaune smiled and stood up, making his way to Pyrrha's room.

"I need one too, my pencil broke!" Nora exclaimed, running up behind Jaune as he entered the room. Jaune looked around for a second, easily determining which desk was Pyrrha's due to its overall neatness compared to Yangs, which was a cluttered mess. He grabbed two pens from the top drawer and turned to Nora- who was rifling through one of the dressers.

"Nora, what are-" Jaune stopped when he saw Nora pull a black thong from the top drawer of the dresser.

"Wanna have fun?" Nora asked maliciously, tossing Jaune a similar pair of red and gold underwear. He blushed immediately as he caught them. The thought of Yang or Pyrrha catching him with a pair of their underwear made him cringe in imaginary pain.

"N-Nora! This is inappropriate!" he scolded in a hushed tone, throwing the underwear back at her. Nora was having none of it; she stretched the elastic, pointed the garment at Jaune and released, flinging it at him.

"No, this is fun!" she argued, smiling as she did so, "do you want to embarrass Miss Nikos or not?" Jaune's blush deepened as he held the red and gold thong in front of him, stretching it back and forth as the realization that the incredibly skimpy pair of underwear was Pyrrha's.

"Uhh-uhhhh…" was all Jaune could say as he continued to nervously stretch the underwear. As much as he didn't want to think of his friend in an inappropriate manner, he couldn't shake images of her in the tiny piece of fabric he held in his hands. '_How the hell is this even comfortable to wear?_' A soft tap to the face from Nora snapped him out of it.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," she said, "let's fling these at her! It'll be funny, and everyone needs a break! We'll be heroes!" She giggled to herself and bounced in place, eagerly anticipating Jaune's answer. A smile spread across his face as he shook his head.

"Let's do it."

Nora and Jaune hopped out of the doorframe, Pyrrha's underwear stretched and ready to fly.

"READY!" Nora yelled, aiming the underwear at Pyrrha's head. The red haired girl turned her head to see what was going on, much like the other five in the room. Pyrrha's eyes widened when she saw two of her thongs being aimed at her, Jaune wielding her favorite pair. She held her hands up, her face turning red in embarrassment as everyone began to snicker.

"JAUNE! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS! W-Why do you have-!"

"AIMMM!"

"N-No, guys, wait-!"

"FIRE!" Nora and Jaune released their grips, sending the elastic projectiles right at Pyrrha. Pyrrha was able to dodge Nora's shot, but wasn't so lucky when it came to Jaune's. The familiar article of clothing smacked her right in the face. It fell to the ground lightly; it wasn't going too fast, but Pyrrha covered her face with her hands as Jaune ran over to apologize- receiving a quick, powerful jab to the stomach tied with a wide grin and amused emerald eyes.

"You could have shot my eye out!" She yelled, pushing Jaune playfully.

"That's funny, I've never heard of a piece of string being able to shoot someones eye out..." Jaune brought Pyrrha into a hug before she could punch his jaw, so she settled to punching his back while yelling, "Get off me, you oaf!" and the whole room erupted with laughter. Everyone had been so stressed and frustrated thanks to studying, and this had been the perfect way to relieve it; much like Nora had predicted. Jaune and Nora fist-bumped, and the laughter continued as Pyrrha picked her underwear up and scurried into her room, her face still red.

"Why are you all encouraging such childish behavior?" a jealous Weiss interrupted. The room turned their attention to her, Pyrrha standing in the door frame nervously. "Didn't your mothers teach you anything about manners!? Where is your decency?" Jaune's smile faded as he stared at Weiss, who was now shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Sun froze up and his eyes glared at Weiss as well, indicating to everyone else in the room that she made a mistake.

"Nope, she said to have fun!" Nora claimed, sitting back down, oblivious to the tension in the air. Jaune was still silent, but a soft smile eventually cracked his lips.

"She probably would have, if I knew where she was. But, I don't." The room went eerily silent. Jaune had never talked about his family life, aside from silly stories about his father; now they knew why. Pyrrha made her way over to her seat and quietly began to continue her studies, her mind going wild. There was still so much she didn't know about Jaune; at least she now knew why he became so emotional during the movie a couple days back.

"I-I'm sorry," Weiss began, her voice shaking, "I didn't know."

"No worries," Jaune said with a smile, taking his seat, "honest mistake, right?" Weiss nodded her head and went back to her books, the rest of the room following suit. Instead of discussing terms and topics, however, everyone remailed silent; even Nora and Yang, whose eyes would glance at Jaune from time to time. Jaune took notice of the pity in their eyes, and decided to do something about it.

"So… now that that's over with, I have a question." Everyone looked up, their eyes interested in what the blond had to say.

"Who shot first? Hans Solo or Groodo?" Sun and Yang groaned loudly as the rest of the room began to voice their opinions. After some convincing and closing of their books, the group of eight broke up into two groups of four in order to debate Jaune's question. It turns out that Hans shot first.

* * *

><p>That night Sun and Jaune were relaxing in their room, getting ready for bed. It had been a long day, most of which was filled with taking copious amounts of notes and trying to help one of their peers understand either a tricky or uninteresting concept. The only moments of the day the two blonds could say they enjoyed was watching Pyrrha get smacked in the face by a pair of her underwear and the debate over Space Wars, which Sun and Yang admittedly found fun when compared to studying.<p>

Since the movie a couple days back, Jaune's feelings for Pyrrha exploded. She was always on his mind, much more than before. She had shown him compassion and didn't press when something was wrong, which made Jaune crazy over her. He knew he had to get this off his chest.

"Sun, I gotta tell you something." Sun was sitting on the futon, and looked up from his laptop to Jaune, who was nervously rubbing his arm.

"'Sup?"

"I like Pyrrha."

"Yeah, I know."

"A lot."

"Yeah, everyone knows except her apparently. You took your time as well. Glad you joined the club."

"And it scares the living shit out of me."

* * *

><p>Yang and Pyrrha were in their room, casually doing mundane tasks and listening to he muffled sounds of Weiss singing from the common room and the noisy bugs from outside before they went to bed. While the white haired girl might say and act differently than them, her voice was outstandingly beautiful. She never sang at an inconvenient time either, making it an enjoyable experience. Pyrrha closed her closet and sprang onto her bed, her eyes staring at the white ceiling. She had been thinking about Jaune all day, even when he was in the room. She just couldn't get the image of his pained face from the movie theater out of her head. Something bad must have happened to make such a happy spirit give off such a remorseful expression. If it wasn't that, she thought about how he saved her from embarrassment, or how comfortable he was to lay on, or how he must only think of her as a friend if he hadn't tried any advancement when he had so many opportunities to.<p>

She couldn't contain her feelings any more. She took a deep breath, ready for what was coming.

"Yang, you win."

"What do I win?" Yang asked, springing to her feet, "Did I win money?!"

"Nope," Pyrrha answered, her eyes still looking at the ceiling, "I like him." Yang's mouth dropped and eyes widened in pure bliss. She would have screamed a very loud "Fuck yeah!" had Pyrrha not covered her mouth in time. "And this stays between us."

"Alright, alright," Yang said after Pyrrha's grip released, "So when did this happen?"

"I don't know, it just sort of did. I can't get him out of my mind, and at the movie, I didn't want him to let go of me." Yang squealed and bounced in place. "He's a gentleman and treats me like he treats everyone else. He doesn't attempt to do anything lewd, like so many guys I've encountered have tried before. He's different, Yang."

"So are you going to tell him?" Yang asked, calming down a bit.

"N-No way, I could never!" Pyrrha exclaimed, her arms shooting up, "I've never done this before! No boy has ever shown such concern or kindness towards me, not even my father," a thought of her father flashed in her head, making her shake her head to be rid of it, "plus Jaune's never shown _that_ type of interest." Yang rolled her eyes, wishing her friend wasn't so thick-skulled. She and Sun agreed that they wouldn't tell their roommates about how Jaune and Pyrrha share mutual feelings- they felt it'd be better if they found out on their own. Silence filled the room for a few moments.

"He just makes me really, really happy," Pyrrha said as she twirled some of her hair, making Yang smile, "I haven't been this happy in a while."

"Pyrrha you're a fighter, go out and take him if you want him!" Yang threw her arms up in excitement, "He's not going to be single forever!"

"No, I-I can't!"

"Why!?"

"Because I'm scared, okay!?"

"Scared of what!?" Yang yelled.

"Scared of what he's doing to me!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Whatever lies beyond this morning, is a little later on. Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all, nothing's like before"<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Some slice of life, some revelations, some new things to add to the plot. I think next chapter we'll see Ruby... maybe.<strong>

**If you have any input, or perhaps something you'd like to see, PM or review. If you wanna see more, give a follow or fav. Thank you for reading, and we'll see you all soon!**


	10. You Found Me

**Took a while to get out, but this bad boy is the longest chapter yet; thus the editing process took a while, considering my editor is as lazy as they get (He knows I'm putting this in). **

**Also, forgot to mention this, but this story is now part of the "Best of RWBY fanfiction." Whoever added us, thank you very much, it's awesome to see people like this story.**

**Not a spoiler, but the "football" we talk about in here is American football. Anyway, lots of references in this one, thought it'd be cool to do so. Hope you like it. **

* * *

><p><em><strong>Where were you, w<strong>__**hen everything was falling apart?**_  
><em><strong>All my days w<strong>__**ere spent by the telephone**_  
><em><strong>That never rang, a<strong>__**nd all I needed was a call**_  
><em><strong>That never came.<strong>_

* * *

><p>"The fire that's pushing me on and on and on… To me it's everything. It's what makes me strong," Jaune said to a slowly nodding Professor Iroh, who took sips of his tea as he listened. Jaune had gone to him for some help on an assignment, but the talk somehow became about Jaune's life.<p>

"But what about the people beside you? Too much fire can often mislead one and burn those around you, Jaune," Iroh responded, reclining in his office chair,

"Fire is the element of power. Do you remember the people who worshiped the spirit of fire, from the assigned readings? They had desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they wanted. Often, however, they would push those they love aside." Jaune thought for a moment, taking what his professor was saying in. He shook his head, smiling.

"I don't need anyone, or anyone's help. If I can't do it on my own, then what good am I? I walk alone. I always have." Jaune frowned a bit as he looked towards the ground. Iroh chuckled at the boy.

"You sound like my nephew. Always thinking you need to do things on your own without anyone's support," Iroh responded, sighing before getting a bit more serious. "Power is overrated. While it is always best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing."

"Why accept other's help when all they do is get in my way?" Jaune asked, immediately regretting the unwarranted aggression in his response. He looked at the professor and tried to relax, letting out a sigh before leaning back in his chair. "I'm sorry. It's just, well, there are plenty of people I care for. I've met so many people this semester that make me happy. I love them, and I'd do anything for them. I've known love, and I've known loss… but these people. I don't need a reason to help them, even if they desert me later on." Jaune closed his eyes, the thoughts of his friends leaving him behind, like so many have done before, coming to mind. "But when it comes to me… I don't need them to solve my problems."

"There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you, help you." Jaune gave his professor a curious look, making Iroh shake his head and laugh. "Not that I love you. I just met you."

"I've never needed anyone before. I've only let one person in, and while I confide a lot in him he still knows so little…" Jaune sighed, letting his disgust in himself be shown. "I don't know why I'm the way I am, but I just can't open up to people."

"These new friends. Do you believe you might be able to fully trust in them?" Professor Iroh asked as he offered Jaune a teacup, which Jaune politely refused.

"Well…" Jaune stated as he furrowed his brow in thought, "most of them, I feel like I could. But my fear of losing them and becoming distant… I don't know if I'd be able to." He ran his hands through his hair, "There's this girl, though…" Jaune whispered this statement quietly and to himself, but it was just loud enough to draw a smile across Iroh's bearded face.

* * *

><p>The weekend finally made it's glorious appearance, ridding the students of their worries for the at least the next couple of days. Earlier on Friday, everyone had exams in most of their classes. While the schedules were miserable, each student survived their first week of midterms. Thanks to their study groups, everyone was able to get through their exams with relative ease and with confidence in their grades.<p>

There was no better feeling than being able to massage their aching wrists and handing the evil exam papers to their professors; it was like a weight was lifted off of each and every one of their shoulders. They were free, and better yet, they had plans to look forward to.

Beacon University was known nationally for their sports teams, especially football. They were ranked number three in the nation, only being bested by the University of Vale and Sanctum College. Tickets to the BU football games sold out so fast that most people had a better chance of winning the lottery than getting one. Luckily for Jaune and Sun, Jaune's grandfather was a hardcore BU fan, as well as alumni, so they were able to get season tickets. Unfortunately, their friends weren't so fortunate. Even if they were eligible to purchase tickets, the only ones who could afford them were Weiss and Pyrrha. Although they wouldn't be able to go to the game, they decided to make the most of it by getting "bevved up" and watching the game on the television.

The group, minus Jaune, sat in the dining hall, eating casually as they talked about the exams and the upcoming football game. By the time the seven had finished a little dessert, they finally began to wonder about Jaune.

"He just left?" Adam asked, furrowing his brow, "That's a bit odd. We were supposed to hang today."

"Is he okay?" Pyrrha asked, her voice genuinely concerned.

"As soon as I got to the room he just walked out," Sun answered, "and I'm not sure what's up with him, Pyr. I've been texting him all day, but he just sends back extremely annoying emoji's and pictures. So I've got to assume that he's fine and just being an ass." Despite the confidence in his voice, Sun was actually a bit worried. Jaune always told him where he was going, even if Sun didn't ask; the fact that he hadn't this time was a little unnerving.

"Yeah," Ren added, holding up his phone, "He just sent me an eggplant…"

"I got the fire emoji," Pyrrha said, looking at her phone before tossing it on the table gently, "Should have seen that coming. He must be alright, then. Maybe he's sending a message of some sort through pictures?"

"No, he's just saying you're hot," Nora commented, making Pyrrha raise an eyebrow. "He sent me a chicken!" Nora then gasped, her eyes wide as they viewed her phone, "I didn't even ask him anything!"

"Yep, just got one," Blake joined in, "I got… a cat." Next to her, Adam stifled a couple of chuckles before being elbowed in the side. Blake glared at him, huffing before returning to her book.

"I got a bumblebee," Yang said, turning off her phone. "The fuck does that even mean, Pyrrha? That help you crack the code?"

"Snowflake," Weiss said, holding up her phone, "I think he's just messing with us."

"I agree," Ren asserted, putting his phone down, "He'll be back soon enough."

"I told him to bring me some Skittles. If he doesn't, do I have permission to punch him?" Yang formally asked, a smile cracking her lips as everyone nodded in approval. "Awesome. Moving on… Tomorrow you guys all get to meet someone very special to me!"

"And who might that be?" Sun asked, leaning his head on his fist.

"My little sister, Ruby!"

"Oh, yay!" Pyrrha exclaimed, "I haven't seen her in so long!"

"Well, you will tomorrow!" Yang declared, "She's gonna stay the night, too. Everyone better be nice, or I'll pummel you." Everyone nodded at Yang's order, much like they always did. Yang's fists were much too intimidating to disagree with her. "Good." Just then, everyone's phone vibrated or "dinged" at once. They each viewed the message from Jaune.

"A football…?" the said in unison.

"Yes, a football, and I look forward to meeting your sister," came a voice from behind Yang. Everyone looked up to see Jaune's bright and smiling face, his hands held behind his back.

"SKITTLES!?" Yang roared, who abruptly caught a pack of the candy being thrown at her face. Jaune was never so relieved to let a vending machine eat his money. Yang squeaked cutely and ripped the package, shoving a handful of the colorful candies into her mouth. "Schank Yoo!"

"Where've you been all day, dude?" Adam asked as he fist-bumped his friend. Jaune flashed his usual goofy grin at everyone, which in turn made everyone else smile.

"Oh, nowhere." His lackluster response with that now mocking smile made everyone deadpan.

"Very funny," Pyrrha commented, "But your last exam was with us at bio today, which ended at eleven in the morning. Then you ran off for, what, eight hours?" Jaune sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as everyone stared him down. "Come on, tell us!"

"Yeah, c'mon Jaune!" Nora cheered, "What's the big deal?"

"I have to say, I'm quite curious as well. Mostly about why you thought an emoji was a proper response," Weiss added, fixing her posture.

"Alright, alright!" Jaune exclaimed, waving his hands to try and calm everyone. "First off, Weiss, I sent everyone emoji's because I thought it was funny." He could hear the heated sighs and groans from his friends, making him a little anxious. "Aaaanyway, I wasn't around today because I went home for a bit."

"What for?" Blake asked quietly, not looking up from her book.

"For… THESE!" Jaune exclaimed, whipping his left arm out from behind his back and revealing a handful of white envelopes.

"You went home for… envelopes?" Yang muttered as she continued to munch on Skittles, unimpressed by Jaune's reveal.

"There's a reason I sent you all a football. These aren't just envelops," Jaune explained, handing one to everyone but Sun, "these are season passes to the every single BU football game this year."

"No fucking way," everyone exclaimed in unison, tearing open their envelopes in a frenzy. Inside, each one had a hard plastic ticket. They were a dark green, and displayed the words "Beacon University Football" across the front alongside the BU emblem. Jaune beamed as everyone let out a collective gasp of astonishment. Nora wordlessly jumped from her seat and brought Jaune into a crushing hug; Ren had to pry her off before Jaune's ribs gave out.

"Oh my god, you weren't lying," Yang said, holding two passes, "But why do I have two?" Jaune scratched the back of his head and shrugged.

"Well, you always talk about your sister. I figured she'd come up at some point, so her having a pass might be useful." Yang shot up and brought Jaune into a tight hug, much like Nora's, all while repeatedly shouting "thank you!"

"Please release me." Jaune managed to squeak as Yang's crushing hug forced the air from him. She did so, making the blond boy pant for air. "Thanks."

"Beacon's football tickets sell out almost instantly, even my father couldn't get any," Weiss commented as she examined the season pass, "Are these even real?"

"Actually, yours isn't, Snow Angel. Sorry, they only allow people this high to enter the stadium." Jaune held up his hand an inch above Weiss' head, causing the whole table to snicker; Sun, Yang and Nora all laughed much harder than the rest, and received an angry glare from Weiss. She then scowled and crossed her arms at Jaune, sending a shiver down his spine. She was given icy related nicknames for a reason.

"Very funny. I demand the truth, Arc, or a certain fencing sword will meet a certain place on your body." The boys cringed at Weiss' threat, imagining the pain.

"I'm kidding, jeez! Yes, they're real, every one of them."

"Jaune, I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am," Ren rejoiced uncharacteristically, holding out his hand, "I've been wanting to go to a football game all my life, and now I finally can." Jaune shook Ren's hand firmly and pat him on the back.

"Seven passes must have cost you a fortune. Please, let me pay you back," Ren continued, as he was reaching for his wallet. Jaune held his hands in front of him.

"No, no need."

"C'mon Jaune, let us pay you back. It's not fair of us to just accept these," Pyrrha added.

"Oh I bet you're just DYING to "pay him back," Yang snickered to no one in particular. Nora and Ren chuckled as Pyrrha glared at Yang and sent an elbow into her ribs. Jaune hadn't heard Yang's comment, and just brushed aside the incident.

"Seriously, though," Yang piped up, holding her side, "I refuse to take these if you don't let me pay you."

"Yeah," Adam said, "How much do I owe you? I'm paying for Blake's too." Blake blushed slightly, giving her boyfriend a quick peck in the cheek. The rest of the group joined in, continuing to demand that Jaune accept compensation. It eventually became overwhelming, and Jaune raised his arms and voice.

"Guys, guys!" he shouted, silencing his friends and most of the dining hall. When everyone sat back down, Jaune crossed his arms and shook his head. "I got them for free."

"What!?" the entire table shouted, save for Sun. He just sat there and continued to smile, playing with one of the buttons on his shirt. His nonchalant attitude did not go unnoticed.

"YOU!" Nora yelped, leaping across the table and grabbing Sun by the shirt, "What do you know! Tell us or be eradicated!" The determined look in her eyes made Sun smile and chuckle nervously.

"Nora!" Ren yelled, grunting as he took hold of Nora's shoulders and tried to pull her back to her side of the table. "Nora, let go." Nora narrowed her eyes at Sun, then released him.

"Next time, monkey-man. Next time." Sun sat timidly in his seat, all eyes on him.

"Jaune, please explain before I get killed." The intense stares Nora, Yang and Weiss were giving him felt like they were burning into his very soul.

"My grandpa is an alumni of BU," Jaune started, "He graduated at the top of his class, and was the star quarterback of the football team; they dominated the competition all four years, and I guess the school's pretty grateful for him winning those championships." The table went wide eyed as they listened to Jaune's story, slowly putting the pieces together.

"Wait… your grandfather- oh my god. He was _THE_ Michael Arc?" Weiss asked, surprised by the confused looks she received from the rest of the group. "What? Didn't any of you learn your Beacon history?" She sighed as the faces around her continued to stare blankly. "Dolts."

"You're certainly coming out of your shell," Yang teased Weiss, "But wow, so you didn't pay a dime?"

"Not a dime." Jaune smiled brightly as everyone went back to examining their passes.

"Welp, I still owe you one," Yang stated, putting one of the passes around her neck. "And don't you dare say I don't." Yang made a fist and pointed to it, and Jaune nodded furiously.

"I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all do," Pyrrha said, standing and moving towards Jaune. She brought him into a thankful hug, prompting everyone to do the same in one giant group hug.

"No problem, guys, really! This is awkward, please let go," Jaune exclaimed laughing when everyone took a step back, "I just wanted you all to come so I wasn't stuck with Sun!"

"Hey!" the faunus-boy yelled, pouting as they all shared a laugh. Everyone put their dishes away and began to walk out of the dining hall sporting their BU Football season passes proudly as they talked about the upcoming game.

* * *

><p>The yellow glow of the lampposts attracted small insects as the ambient noises of Garnet Park floated on the cool night air. Pyrrha and Jaune sighed in relaxation, taking it all in while they walked in silence. Their late lifting session was more intense than usual, so on the way back to their respective dorms they decided to take a scenic detour through the park. Pyrrha smiled to herself, unable to remember the last time she had felt so happy and peaceful. She snuck another glance at the boy beside her, still unable to shake the feeling that something was off. She pushed it from her mind, trying to simply enjoy her time alone with Jaune.<p>

Ever since their first run in at the gym, Jaune had been helping to train Pyrrha about proper lifting. She had made impressive strides because of Jaune's instruction, but had yet to repay him for his kindness. Sure, whenever he asked her to teach him some MMA she obliged, but it always ended in her beating him up for calling her silly nicknames and trying to take her down.

They continued their walk down the gravel path, not a worry in the world. It seemed like they were the only two people in the world, and Pyrrha marveled at how perfect the night was; it was nearly unreal how relaxing it all was.  
>"This is nice," Jaune finally said, breaking the silence, "We should do this more often. Just get away, y'know?"<br>"Yes, I agree." She stared up at him as he continued to look forward.  
>"It's not everyday I get to stroll through beautiful places with an equally beautiful girl, anyway," he continued, making Pyrrha blush.<br>"Shut up," she said, pushing him a bit. He smiled at her, letting loose a few giggles.  
>"Hey, I'm only telling the truth." The path before them continued to stretch though the dark park. Pyrrha tried to make sense of where in the park they were, but the darkness was too overwhelming. She also noticed the lamps around them had gradually become dimmer. Their seclusion suddenly became more eerie than romantic, and Pyrrha turned her head towards Jaune to ask him about it when he spoke up.<br>"Yang told me everything." He declared abruptly. Pyrrha stopped suddenly underneath a lamppost, her heart skipping a beat. Jaune stopped in front of her, his smile shining brightly in the light.  
>"SHE WHAT!?" She asked loudly, praying she somehow misheard.<br>"I know how you feel towards me." Pyrrha's entire body went numb; gooseflesh formed on her arms as shivers ran down her back. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, and her mind went blank. "It's alright, Pyrrha. No need to get all tense."  
>Jaune smirked at her as she blushed, moving his face closer to hers. Her blush deepened when she realized he wasn't stopping.<br>'_What is he doing!?_' she screamed mentally. She could now see he felt strongly about her, but to move so boldly was insane. Suddenly, her fear and anxiety melted away. 'Maybe this isn't so bad,' she thought to herself. '_Maybe it could work after all._'  
>Pyrrha prepared for her very first kiss, closing her eyes and parting her lips slightly. She felt his fingers on her cheek, and his warm breath only centimeters away. She waited, but his lips never met hers. She opened her eyes, and looked in Jaune's. They were cold and unfeeling. Her eyes widened in shock; there was no way those were Jaune's eyes. He moved his face away from hers.<p>

"Oh, Pyrrha, you're so gullible. If only there was someone out there who loved you."

* * *

><p>Pyrrha shot up from her nightmare wide eyed, arms flailing out from under her sheets. She sat there panting, heart racing as beads of sweat rolled down her face. Across the room, Yang rolled over in her bed, awakened by Pyrrha's antics.<p>

"Mmph. Pyrrha… it's 8 in the morning. Why are you uuuup," she moaned, barely opening her eyes. Pyrrha shot her an angry emerald glare as she wiped the sweat from her brow; even though it was only a nightmare, she was still pissed about Yang's imaginary betrayal.

"Be right back." Pyrrha said bluntly as she got up and stormed into the common room, her dream replaying in her head. She stopped at Yang's Xbone and knelt down to eject the disk from its drive. It popped out, the title "Frozen" displayed in large icy letters.

"Never again." She muttered vindictively, taking incredible satisfaction from snapping the disk in two. Yang yawned as she entered the room, following Pyrrha out of curiosity. She stopped in place at the sight of the disk fragments in Pyrrha's hands.

"My movie!" she yelled, jolting awake from the anger, "Bitch, you owe me $24.99!" Pyrrha glanced over at her and smiled, knowing what she did was a bit over the top. Regardless, it felt pretty good.

"Worth it. I'm going back to sleep." Pyrrha tossed the broken disk into the trash and walked past Yang and into her room, slipping back under the covers. She felt a bit better about herself, but the nightmare was exactly what she was scared of most. _Rejection_. Even though she wanted to go back to bed, she just laid there, eyes wide open. Yang was already back to snoring, and Pyrrha was getting sick of it. She let out a loud sigh to see if Yang would snap out of her snoring state, but her effort was futile. She got up and grabbed her gym bag, slipping into some gym clothes before leaving.

'_Might as well get a head start on the day,_' she thought as she left the room. On her way over to the gym, the nightmare just kept repeating itself inside her head. It was maddening, but upon arrival she smiled as she saw a certain someone training in the back corner.

* * *

><p>Jaune was at one of the punching bags set up on the far side of the gym, practicing the stances and punches Pyrrha had taught him. He had been trying to learn some MMA fighting because it had always been an interest of his. While his passion would always remain with wrestling, he thought learning a new form of fighting would be fun; especially with the girl he was crushing on. She was a fantastic teacher, but she was leagues ahead of him when it came to the full sport of MMA. Grappling was the only thing he had on her; every time they sparred thus far, Pyrrha beat the living snot out of him. Her punches were too fast and her defense was too good, so it was nearly impossible for him to get in close for a submission. The last time they sparred Jaune made the mistake of calling her 'cinnamon stick' again, and paid for it with a sore jaw, bruised stomach, and a good look at the ceiling.<p>

He hit the bag with a side jab, then an uppercut, leaning into the punches and allowing the force of his body to do the most damage. He tried to apply as much of what Pyrrha taught him, so the next time they sparred or trained together, he would impress her.

"Impressive," he heard from behind him, "I see you're taking this seriously." Jaune spun around to see Pyrrha standing behind him, arms crossed. He smiled, watching as she returned it.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked, "You're taking the time to teach me!"

"Yeah, but I never expected you to train on your own time, nor did I expect to see you here, so..." Pyrrha slipped on her gloves and walked towards the octagonal ring. "Ready to train?"

"S-Sure!" Jaune exclaimed, running after her.

Their sparring session ended with both combatants exhausted, panting heavily as they wiped the sweat from their faces. Jaune really surprised Pyrrha with how much he had improved; he even caught her off guard, and in her haste to evade him had twisted her ankle slightly. She leaned up against a ring post, taking a sip of her water and hoping Jaune wouldn't notice her minor injury.

"Where did that last round come from?" Pyrrha asked, still breathing heavily.

"I have no clue, I thought you were just playing around though," he replied, equally as tired, "Glad to know I can at least increase your heart rate."

'_You have no idea._' Pyrrha internally said. She pulled Milo and Akouo off and began to walk out of the ring, limping slightly. She tried her hardest to brave through the pain so Jaune wouldn't catch on, so she put full force on her ankle when Jaune looked over to her. That turned out to be a bad move as she bit her lip in pain, trying to keep a calm demeanor. She limped over to her bag quickly, Jaune watching the whole time. He picked up his gym bag and adjusted the strap around his shoulder.

"You're a bad actress, you know," Jaune said, rushing over to her and helping her stand off of her bad ankle.

"It's nothing, Jaune," she remarked, some flame in her tone, "Let me go."

"You're lying."

"I'm. Fine. Let go of me. Now."

"Oh yeah? Okay. Then let's have another round, Red." Jaune gave her a sarcastic smile and a raise of the eyebrow as she scowled.

"It's just a bruise." Pyrrha looked away from him, angry that he was still holding her up. "I don't need your help, Jaune. I can walk fine. I've been through this plenty of times without any help." She returned her gaze back to him, her expression stern. No matter how hard she tried, though, she could tell Jaune had no intention of letting her go.

"Well, I'm here to help. Is everything you need in your bag?" he asked, receiving a questioning look from Pyrrha.

"Yeah… Can you let go now?" Pyrrha tried squirming out from Jaune's arm, and her foot pressed down on the floor a bit too hard. A jolt of pain shot up her leg, making her lean back into Jaune.

"Yeah, sorry, I don't think that's happening." He picked Pyrrha's bag up and slung it around his free shoulder.

"H-Hey! I can carry it- JAUNE, w-what are you- wait!" Pyrrha was now in Jaune's arms bridal style, her face as red as her hair. She tried to get free, but gave up after a few futile seconds. "P-Please put me down. I'm telling you, I don't need your help, Jaune. I-It's sweet of you to do this, but it isn't necessary, really!"

"You're not walking on that ankle! The quicker you accept this, the faster we get home!" Jaune exclaimed, effortlessly carrying her towards the stairs. Pyrrha was silent, slightly enjoying being carried. He shifted her in his arms, making her bounce. A giggle escaped her, which she immediately tried to cover up, realizing her bravado act was vanishing.

"I hate you, Arc." Knowing 'Jaune the Stubborn' wasn't going to put her down, she finally accepted his kindness, wrapping her arms around his neck while butterflies fluttered in her stomach. He looked down at her, flashing her a grin to assure her she wasn't a burden. Pyrrha blushed and rested her head on his shoulder, allowing herself to get comfortable in his muscular arms, paying no attention to the looks other students were giving them as they walked home.  
>Jaune dropped her off at her room, placing her on the couch carefully. He taped an ice pack to her ankle, gave her a hug and then left quietly before any of her roommates woke up. Pyrrha smiled as he left, her thoughts overtaking her once more.<p>

'_Okay, so he cares a lot. Maybe I should exaggerate my injuries more often._'

* * *

><p>Ruby put her phone away again, sighing heavily as she ruffled her hair in frustration.<p>

"She's not answering any of my texts!" she grumbled to herself, "Leave it to Yang to sleep so late on the day her little sister comes to visit!" She kicked at the ground, still hopelessly lost in BU's gigantic campus. At this point, she didn't even remember how to get back to the parking garage and her car. At her wits end she decided to keep walking, marveling at the tall brick buildings she passed. As she turned a corner, she absent mindedly walked right into another person, causing them to spill their drink onto their shirt. She looked up at the large boy, and noticed he wasn't alone. One of his posse spoke up.

"Hey Cardin, you gonna let that one slide?" Ruby noticed the cast on his leg and the crutches, wondering how he could act so tough when he looked so weak.

"Hey, girl," Cardin said, a touch of malice in his voice. "How exactly are you planning on repaying me for what you've done?" Ruby poked her index fingers together nervously, looking away from him.

"I'm really, really sorry about your shirt." she offered weakly. Cardin scoffed, obviously not happy with that answer.

"You're going to need to do better than that," he stated as he looked her up and down, grinning, "you're not from around here, are you? How about you let me and my friend's here welcome you to Beacon," he snickered, sending a shiver down Ruby's spine.

"No, no, that's okay," she managed as she slowly backed away, "I'm actually here to meet someone soo…" Cardin reached out and grabbed her sleeve, causing Ruby to cry out in surprise.

"I insist."

"Uh, I think no still means no these days." Called a voice from behind them. The five looked over, watching as two blond boys came closer; a regular boy and a faunus. "Didn't you dumbasses learn your lesson?" The faunus boy cracked his knuckles.

"Not to worry, Jaune. I'm more than happy to give them remedial lessons." Jaune chuckled at the faunus boy's comment.

"Ohhhh, Sun, using a big word like 'remedial' correctly. I'm impressed." Sun scowled at Jaune, punching him lightly in the shoulder.

"Dude, really!? You're making me look like an idiot." Cardin cleared his throat, letting go of Ruby and facing the two.

"You guys think you can take us, now that we outnumber you?"

"Uhhh… yah." Sun stated bluntly. Jaune laughed, motioning towards the four creeps.

"Look at you guys. Taking you down would be easier than…" Jaune looked up for a second, then sucked on his teeth. "I don't have a joke. But it'll be REALLY easy, is what I'm trying to say." he grinned sadistically, flexing his muscles. "You aren't ready for the pain train!" Cardin and his group all took a step back, their confidence wavering. Cardin swore under his breath then began walking away, motioning for the others to follow. Jaune and Sun crossed their arms and watched the four walk away, jeering at them as they fled.

"Ha ha ha. So long!" Jaune commented before turning his attention to the young girl in front of him. Her big silver eyes gazed at him in admiration, starstruck. Finally, she got a hold of herself.

"Uhh, yeah, hi! Thanks for helping me out with those jerks." Jaune smiled at her, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't mention it! It's the least we could do, and besides, we hate those guys."

"Yeah, they're total scumbags!" Sun chimed in with a raised fist. Ruby laughed at the two.

"You guys seem really cool. Do you think you could help me out?"

"Yeah, sure." Jaune replied.

"Well, I'm pretty lost right now and the person I'm meeting hasn't answered any of my texts. So, I was wondering if maybe you could tell me how to get to theparking garage so I can at least go to my car? All my stuff is there." Sun pointed to his left.

"Well, if you go down this street and take a left like, four blocks down, then follow that street until the light, the garage should be down the hill to the right." Ruby's eyes lit up, and she embraced Sun in a hug.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she cried as she swung from his neck. Sun pat her back, laughing at the young girl's enthusiasm.

"Wait, didn't you say you were here to meet someone?" Jaune asked. Ruby let go of Sun and nodded.

"Yep! My sister, but that idiot didn't tell me what dorm she was staying in and I can't get a hold of her!" Ruby took out her phone and checked it again, shaking her head. "I swear, sometimes that blonde bimbo gets me so mad I just want to punch her in her big dumb boobs!" Sun's eyes widened at this comment, looking over at Jaune in disbelief.

"Hey," he called, hesitating a moment, "Your sister's name wouldn't happen to be Yang, would it?" A look of pure shock came over Ruby.

"You know her!?" she exclaimed happily. Sun smirked, nodding his head.

"Yeah, we do. C'mon, we'll show you the way."

* * *

><p>"This is it?"<p>

"Yeah, and one of her roommates is coming down now to let you in," Jaune said, nodding towards Ruby. As they approached the brick building, the large metal door gentle swung open, revealing a girl with dark hair and a black bow on top of her head. "'Sup, Blake!"

"Hey Jaune," the girl responded, her amber eyes then becoming fixated on Ruby, "So, you're Yang's sister?"

"Yep, that's me!" Ruby responded, "I'm guessing my sister is still asleep?"

"You'd be correct," Blake replied, "Well come on up." The raven haired girl held the door open as Ruby walked inside, waving to Jaune and Sun as she left them. The two blond boys returned the waves, leaving to go back to their own building. Blake led Ruby up to the room, opening the door to none other than a certain chipper blonde behind it.

"LITTLE SIS! I MISSED YOU SO MUUUUUUCH!" Yang cried, crushing Ruby into a bear hug.

"Please stop, you big dumb idiot!" Ruby begged, trying to punch and kick Yang off of her.

"Why the harsh words for your big sister!?"

"Oh, I don't know," Ruby snapped back, jumping away from Yang's bind, "Maybe if you would've woken up I'd be nicer!"

"Bleh, details," Yang said, swinging at the air, "Hey, Pyr! Guess who's here!" At the sound of her nickname the red head sprinted out of her room, tackling Ruby into another bear hug; however Ruby didn't mind Pyrrha's hugs, since she was a lot less rough than her sister.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby yelped, returning the hug, "Oh, I missed you so much!"

"I've missed you as well!" Pyrrha replied, letting go of the hug, "We're gonna have so much fun this weekend!" Pyrrha beamed a bright smile at Ruby, who was practically like her little sister as well, and was beyond excited for her to be there. "I see you and Blake met?"

"Yep, she let me up, because a certain SISTER wasn't awake." Ruby shot an angry glare at Yang, then looked back to Blake, who was now sitting on one of the couches, reading a book. "Thanks for letting me in, by the way!"

"No problem." Blake didn't bother looking up from her book.

"I like your bow!" Ruby exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

"Thanks." Ruby frowned, upset that she was obviously having no impact on this girl.

"She's always like that, don't worry Rubes," Yang said, trying to explain things to her sister. However, Ruby wanted to make a good impression on her sister's roommates. At the sight of Blake's book, Ruby had an idea.

"What's it about?" Ruby's question caught Blake's attention; she lowered her book a bit, her eyes meeting Ruby's.

"What?" the raven haired girl asked.

"Your book. What's it about?"

"It's about a faunus thief. He kidnaps a princess, who already wanted to escape, and a war breaks out. He and the princess travel the world with a band of misfits, trying to stop evil and put an end to the fighting."

"That sound's interesting. Where did you get it?"

"Jaune, one of the guys who brought you here."

"Oh! Yeah, he's cool!"

"Wait, what? You already met Jaune?" Yang couldn't believe her ears. The BU campus was so large, yet Ruby already met two of her close friends? She just hoped her little sister made a good impression with Jaune, since he had been kind enough to provide them both with BU football passes.

"Yeah, and his monkey-faunus friend!"

"Huh. So, what do you think of ol' Jauney?" Yang asked innocently, "Cool guy, right?"

"Yeah! He's really, really nice! And funny!" Pyrrha's glared at Yang as Ruby spoke, aware of what she was trying to do.

"What else is he, Rubes?" Yang pressed, acting as innocent as she could without laughing, "Anything else?"

"Well, he's extremely handsome…" Ruby blushed a little bit, "But don't tell him I said that!" Blake couldn't help but smile at Pyrrha's emotionless expression as she stood and stared at Ruby. The room went silent for a moment, the only sound in the air being the stifled laughs from Yang. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Nope, you said everything perfectly!" Yang answered, wrapping her arm around Ruby. "Jaune just so happens to be Pyrrha's boyfriend!" Pyrrha's face turned a deep red as Ruby's mouth shot open in excitement.

"Really!? Oh, good for you Pyr!"

"I-uh, he's not my boyfriend!" Pyrrha shouted, turning away. "He's just a friend!" Ruby narrowed her eyes at the Mistralian girl, unsure of what exactly was going on. It was at that moment that the door to Blake's bedroom swung open.

"Yang? You called about someone being here?" A white haired girl walked into the common room, sporting a soft smile towards Ruby. "Oh, you must be Yang's sister."

"Yeah, I'm Ruby," Ruby replied, holding out her hand, "nice to meet you."

"I'm Weiss, nice to meet you as well."

"I'm sorry you have to deal with my sister!" This statement made Weiss' eyebrow twitch for a second.

"And why is that?" Ruby smiled and stared at Yang, eager to get payback.

"Oh, she always talks about how mean you can be, and how annoying she is to you. I think you should be meaner in my opinion. Here, wanna know some of her secrets?" Ruby's eyes shot flames at a now panicking Yang, who was trying to stop everything that was happening. However, it was no use.

"Why, yes, Ruby. I'd love to learn some things about her. Here, come over to my room," Weiss led Ruby over to her and Blake's bedroom, "We're going to be great partners."

* * *

><p>"Come on you little bitch! You hit like a girl!" Yang yelled, attracting attention and laughs from those around her. Sun shielded his face and looked away, trying to save himself from the embarrassment that was Yang.<p>

"Yang…" he groaned, pulling her close, "You're patronizing our team."

"Oh." Yang grinned wide, "I forgot we're the green ones."  
>It was the late in the third quarter, and BU was up by 35 points. It was an utter blowout, and the student section was going wild. Everyone was still plenty tipsy from the pre-game tailgate Jaune's wrestling buddies threw, and all the yelling and cheered had everyone's voices failing and raspy. Ren, Yang, Weiss and Blake, weren't very versed in the sport, and everyone else had to explain what exactly was going on from time to time. Nora had continually harassed the popsicle man, and only stopped after Ren bribed her with the purchase of treats. Blake got uncharacteristically loud when one BU player scored a touchdown, surprising Adam immensely. Sun had gotten into a bit of a scuffle with a fellow student when he called Yang a 'dumb blonde,' Pyrrha was featured on the jumbotron with Jaune and Yang, Weiss was able to grab one of those shirts the mascot shot out of a cannon at halftime, and Ruby was currently on top of Jaune's shoulders as the two shouted for their team. Yang smiled brightly at her little sister and Jaune, knowing that Pyrrha probably had steam coming from her ears.<p>

Pyrrha bit her lip as Ruby and Jaune chanted along with the crowd. Everything had been great until now; it was still great, but just a little less great than before. Not only did Jaune make going to the game possible to go to, Jaune would hug Pyrrha after BU scored, Jaune would talk to her in between plays and Jaune would pick her up and spin her around if BU made a big play.

Now, another girl was on his shoulders, and he paid no attention to her. Pyrrha knew she was being irrational and to be frank, immature; maybe it was because she was still pretty drunk, but still, it irked her to see Jaune act in a somewhat flirty manner towards another girl when just a few minutes before he was all about her. The truth was, she never had this type of attention from a guy before, especially a guy like Jaune; she began to crave it in both her drunkenness and affection towards him. She was tempted to pull the little silver eyed girl right off of Jaune's broad shoulders, but she knew she would never be able to go through with that. Ruby was like a little sister, but that didn't mean she wasn't slightly jealous. Pyrrha tried to remain focused on the game, but the two were right next to her. Her eyes couldn't help but occasionally scan the two bodies that formed a single, tall entity.

A whistle from the field blew and the crowd quieted down a little bit; BU had just gotten a first down, and the game was just entering fourth quarter. Pyrrha watched as Ruby laced her fingers into Jaune's messy blond hair, leaning down and laughing at him. He looked up and returned the smile, making Pyrrha's eye twitch.

She had enough. Her fists were clenched and she was slowly reaching up with a slightly shaky hand to pull Ruby down; however a tight grip on her shoulder made her stop.

"Dude, calm down." Yang held a mischievous smile, which only irritated Pyrrha more. She only glared at Yang, her lush green eyes conveying a silent message.

"Trust me, it's nothing." Pyrrha furrowed her brow and her shoulders became less tense.

"What?" she whispered, being sure Nora wasn't near to broadcast the conversation.

"Jaune told me he sees her as a little sister," Yang explained, shrugging her shoulders when Pyrrha's face transmitted more confusion. "She called him handsome, Pyr. A big sister has to know these things. You have nothing to worry about." Pyrrha relaxed a little, her eyes travelling back to the two. Ruby was now off his shoulders, and Jaune was talking to Ren and Nora, Ruby was with Weiss, Blake and Adam, all of them laughing as Ruby danced around.

"But what about Ruby?" Pyrrha asked, turning back to her best friend, "Does she still think he's handsome?"

"Pyr, even I think he's handsome," Yang said, making Sun, who was next to Yang and close enough to hear the conversation, scowl, "Ruby isn't interested. Back at the room, she said he's like a big lovable brother. I just wanted to see how long it'd take you to have an aneurysm."

Pyrrha let loose a sigh, relieved she didn't do anything rash. She looked back to Jaune, who now had Nora on his shoulders, his face showing pain as her legs clamped his head. Ren put a hand over his face, shaking his head in disbelief at Jaune's capacity to allow the girl such liberties. Pyrrha let loud giggles escape her as Nora slapped Jaune's back, yelling, "Onward, steed!"

* * *

><p>The game ended with the score being 56-14, BU crushing the opposing team. The streets outside of the stadium filled with BU students, cheering and parading towards the main campus and fraternity houses. Adam explained that although the football team won nearly every game, the campus still erupted with parties after every victory. The group rushed back to their rooms, fighting through the masses of cheering students.<p>

After preparing, they found a house and joined in on the festivities for a couple of hours. Jaune walked through the crowd with Pyrrha, the alcohol making the room seem to spin slightly around them. They had shared a bottle of Fireball whiskey together Jaune had brought it to celebrate Pyrrha's perfect score on her biology exam, and he had made sure they were the only two who had access to it.

Both he and Pyrrha were just coming from the dance floor. In their drunken state, both of their guards were lowered and it allowed for them to be a little more personal; not only was dancing less awkward for them, his hand still gently held hers as they tried to locate the rest of their party. He saw Ren, Weiss, Nora, Adam and Blake all sitting on one of the couches. Nora was poking Ren's nose repeatedly as the boy drank whatever fluid was in his water bottle and Blake was on top of Adam; Jaune wanted nothing to do with that, and left the two alone. He walked up to Weiss, who was talking to Nora as she poked Ren.

"Hey, Weiss, you see where Sun, Yang and Ruby are?" Weiss pointed across the room, and Jaune's intoxicated eyes landed on the two blondes up against a wall. He heard Pyrrha let out a chuckle as she too spotted them.

"Lovely." Jaune commented as he shook his head, returning to Weiss while playing around with Pyrrha's fingers in his right hand unconsciously. "What about Ruby?" Weiss scowled at Jaune for interrupting her conversation yet again and irately pointed her finger towards a door down the hallway. Jaune let out a worried sigh, putting together the situation.

"Pyrrha, I'll be right back." He received a nod from the red-haired woman, then rushed over to the door. He knocked twice, and after receiving no response put his ear to the door hoping to hear something over the blaring EDM music. Inside, the sounds of a girl retching managed to sober Jaune up immediately.  
>Jaune burst through the door, revealing a very pitiful looking Ruby hunched over the toilet bowl. Jaune shook his head, kneeling next to the poor girl as he rubbed her back.<p>

"A bit too much to drink?"

"Mhmmmm." she moaned miserably.

"You're not looking too good. Wanna go to your sister's room?"

"Mm-grr-mhm."

"You want me to go get her?"

"NUH-UH-" Ruby's protest was cut short as she began to gag, and eventually she vomited into the toilet again; nothing but clear liquid left her body at this point.

"Is it all out?"

"I-I dur know," Ruby groaned, holding her stomach, "P..Please d-don't tell Yang-!" She lurched forward once again, expelling the toxic fluid from her belly. Jaune watched as Ruby wiped her mouth, her breathing heavy and spastic.

"I won't tell Yang if you don't want me to."

"Cross your heart?" Jaune's eyes widened a bit at her request.

"Yeah, Ruby. Cross my heart."

"I-I don't know if I can walk. B-But you can't leave me. Yang… Yang, oh my god, she'd kill me Jaune. Just, just don't tell Yang."

"Don't worry, everything's gonna be alright." Ruby's rapid breathing began to slow down, and she spit a few times into the toilet.

"You… You're a great guy, Jaune. I'm… I'm glad you and Pyrrha ar- HNGH!" Ruby vomited up whatever was left in her stomach mid-sentence, leaving Jaune puzzled. He wanted to know what she was going to say about him and Pyrrha, but decided that's the last thing he needed to worry about. Jaune looked around the bathroom, spotting Ruby's red cup on the sink counter. He ran the cold water and washed the cup out, ridding it of its previous intoxicating substances. He filled the cup with water and brought it to Ruby, who was now sitting against the white wall.

"Here, sip this."

"Y-You're sooo nice." Jaune held the cup to the girl's lips, being sure to gently allow the fluid to enter her body. He let her breathe for a second, her eyes closing and breaths now deep and slow. He looked up at the door frame, his sapphire eyes meeting worried, vibrant emerald ones.

"Ruby!" Pyrrha exclaimed, rushing to the opposite side of the silver eyed girl. "Jaune, is she okay?"

"She will be," Jaune replied, inspecting the non-responsive girl. "She's just passed out now."

"I'll get Yang." As Pyrrha stood, Jaune quickly grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back.

"She said not to tell her sister, I promised." Jaune looked up at Pyrrha, his eyes begging her to listen. She sighed, deciding that telling Yang could wait. Pyrrha knelt down to Ruby, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Ruby?" She called as she shook her shoulder lightly, receiving no response other than the calm, deep breaths the girl was taking. Pyrrha furrowed her brow, wondering if she should get Yang after all. "J-Jaune, I-I have to tell Yang, I, this isn't alright, we need to call someone-!"

"Pyrrha!" Jaune's voice was commanding and stern, "I need your help. You're the only one I need right now." Pyrrha's anxiety died down a little bit, realizing Jaune was still holding her. "We need to get her back to your room. She's fine, her body just needs to rest." His fingers wrapped around her hand, holding it up. "You with me?" Pyrrha nodded and stood up, Jaune following suit. He released her, and picked Ruby up bridal style. Her body slumped a bit in his arms, her eyes cracking open for a few seconds.

"Tell Nora… Uni… Unicorns aren't real…" Ruby wrapped her arms around Jaune's neck before she slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Will do, Ruby." Jaune began to walk forward with haste, hoping Yang or anyone else wouldn't see them leave. Luckily for them, Sun still had Yang plenty "occupied".

* * *

><p>"So I see your ankle isn't hurting anymore." Jaune looked over and smirked to at the beautiful girl next to him, "I knew something was up."<p>

"What are you talking about?" Pyrrha asked, beginning to limp, "I think you need to carry me back too."

"Nice try," Jaune stated, shaking his head as he looked forward, "I can't believe we killed that whole bottle of Fireball, you fireball."

"The more nicknames you give me, the harder I'm going to hit you when we spar," Pyrrha threatened, her hands behind her back.

"Ohhh, I'm so scared," Jaune mocked, knowing the emerald eyed girl couldn't do anything to him whilst he was holding Ruby. "'I'm Pyrrha and I can beat up anyone, hurr durr.'"

"You're on thin ice, Arc!"

"Hooo I'm on thin ice, watch out!" Jaune cried into the air, snapping his head back to Pyrrha, "How thin we talkin'? Two inches?" his face got very close as he whispered, "_Half an inch?_"

"ARC!" Pyrrha roared, trying to fight down a smile, "Don't make me kill you." Jaune let loose a fake, hearty laugh, making Pyrrha shake her head. Jaune was about to shoot back a witty remark about how she sounded like Anakin from Space Wars, but the neon white sign for "Sgt. Roman's Pizzeria" caught his attention before he could pronounce a syllable. It occurred to Jaune that, yes, he was indeed still drunk, and that yes, he was incredibly hungry.

"PYRRHA!" he bellowed, making Ruby bounce around in his arms.

"WHAT!?" Pyrrha shrieked on instinct, jumping a bit at how loud Jaune was.

"Buy me a slice of pizza, please."

"Jaune, we have to get Ruby back."

"Pyrrha, it'll take two seconds!"

"No, Jaune! We have to get back-!" Jaune cut her off, coming to an abrupt halt in front of the pizzeria before gently shaking Ruby in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open, and Jaune was relieved to see she didn't have alcohol poisoning. Jaune grinned, actually waking her up for another, secondary reason.

"Ruby?" Jaune said softly, watching the girl drunkenly nuzzle into him.

"I was naaaapping, what is itttt?" Ruby groaned as she tried to go back to sleep.

"I was just wondering… you think Pyrrha should buy me a piece of pizza, right?" Pyrrha's jaw dropped as she watched Jaune use the poor girl against her.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Sleep time." Ruby pulled her hood over her face and fidgeted in Jaune's arms until she became comfortable. Jaune chuckled as she fell back asleep in a matter of moments, then turned to Pyrrha.

"Well, you heard her," Jaune said haughtily, shooting Pyrrha a nauseatingly smug grin, "Pizza time! I like cheese." Pyrrha sagged her shoulders as she let out a sigh, nodding her head in defeat. She returned after a few minutes, one steaming slice of cheese pizza in her hand.

"Here," she said, holding the grease stained paper plate out to the blond, "Your pizza."

"You have to feed me, Pyr-Pyr. My arms are full." Jaune commented sarcastically, lifting Ruby up higher in his arms to show Pyrrha and accentuate his point.

"You're not serious." Pyrrha stared at Jaune, who only stood there and smiled. "You're actually serious."

"Come on, Pyrrha! I'm soooo hungry, and Ruby said-!"

"Fine, Jaune! You're so annoying!" With a sigh, she cupped the piece of pizza and held it to his mouth, ignoring the comments and snickers around them. Jaune gleefully took a bite, only to quickly open his mouth and huff rapidly.

"Hawt, it's hawt, Pyrrha, it's hawt!" Jaune managed to exclaim as his eyes began to tear, the molten cheese in his mouth burning his tongue. After a few moments, he was finally able to close his mouth and swallow the delicious cheesy goodness. Pyrrha gave her crush a peeved look before holding the remainder of the slice up.

"Another bite, your majesty?"

"Blow on it first! It's hot!"

"I'm not blowing anything, Jaune!"

"HA! That's what sheeee said!"

"JAUNE!" Jaune's expression went faint as Pyrrha's eyes shot fire at him.

"Pyrrrrrha, it's hoooot thoughhhh!" He whined, closing his eyes and giving her a half pout, "After all we've been through, you won't even cool my pizza down for me?" Pyrrha continued to give Jaune a hostile stare; Suddenly, her eyes widened as she got an idea. She pursed her lips and blew on the pizza, taking the opportunity to make it look extra seductive.

"Here you go, Jauney," she cooed, leaning forward and bringing the pizza in. Jaune beamed, opening his mouth and leaning in for a bite. With his mouth inches from the slice, Pyrrha suddenly flashed a sadistic smile and mushed the pizza into Jaune's face, smearing it all around as he protested frantically. She then threw the ruined pizza into the bushes, grinning triumphantly at a heartbroken Jaune.

"I was still gonna eat that," he mumbled dismally.

"You done being an annoying little boy now?"

"Yes, Pyrrha."

"And we can be on our merry way?"

"Yes, Pyrrha."

"... Want me to buy you a new slice of pizza?"

"Yes, please." Pyrrha grinned and went back into the shop, retuning a few seconds later with napkins and fresh slice of pizza. She wiped Jaune's face free of pizza sauce and the two carried on towards Pyrrha's dorm, occasionally pausing so the red-haired warrior could feed her man-child friend.

* * *

><p>Ruby was blissfully asleep on one of the common room's couches underneath a spare blanket Pyrrha was able to provide. Jaune tucked her in and pat her head a few times, making Pyrrha stare at him alluringly.<p>

"I guess this is what having a little sibling is like. Kinda nice- not the part where she got sick, but the part of being able to look out for them, I guess." The brotherly care he showed towards Ruby made Pyrrha's heart flip. Confusion made it's way into her brain when Jaune stood up and hugged her. "Let's drink more. Can we drink more? I'm bored." Pyrrha went out a few giggles and pushed Jaune away.

"I think we've had enough too." The sight of Jaune taking a clear water bottle filled with amber liquid and shake it around made Pyrrha bite her lip. "Is that more Fireball?"

"Yuuuup."

"I changed my mind. Gimme."

The two drank almost all of the plastic water bottle before calling it. Jaune was sitting on the couch opposite of Ruby, Pyrrha beside him. They sat a little bit apart, looking at eachother as they conversed.

"I wish I had real siblings," Jaune said, scratching his cheek as he turned and looked a Ruby.

"Me too."

"I mean, I guess I already have some," Pyrrha gave Jaune a glazed look, "My dad has a girlfriend with two little girls of her own."

"Oh, that counts, I think."

"They're annoying as all hell," Jaune admitted, his filter had been burned away from the Fireball whiskey, "But I love 'em."

"That's adorable," Pyrrha complimented, "Yang and Ruby are like my sisters, but I've no blood siblings either."

"Single child club."

"Tell me about it." The two chuckled at their lame joke, their eyes eventually just resting on one another. Pyrrha eventually lost the staring contest, and broke the comfortable silence. "Can I ask you something? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Sure, what's up?"

"What happened with your mother?" Pyrrha bit her lip in anticipation. She knew the topic was touchy, but the subject had been gnawing at her ever since the movie and the alcohol had gotten the better of her. Jaune gave her a curious look, and she averted her gaze in embarrassment.

"There's not much to tell, honestly. She walked out on my father and I." Jaune's words surprised Pyrrha and she shot her head up, softly looking at Jaune. His gaze was aimed towards the ceiling, as he was trying to concentrate and get the facts of his past straight. "I was six. She… she was everything to me. At least, that's what my dad tells me. I actually don't remember much about her." Despite his efforts to conceal it, Pyrrha could hear the pain in his voice. She reached out her hand and placed it on his shoulder to comfort him. Jaune accepted her fair skinned hand, playing with her fingers as he talked. Pyrrha began to wonder why he did so, but she secretly enjoyed it.

"I don't know. Everyone's always so surprised to hear that I live with my dad, not her. I guess it's uncommon for a mother to not love her little boy."

"Jaune…" Jaune shook his head slowly as he looked down, his eyes resting on Pyrrha's hand. He smiled a little bit, which threw Pyrrha off.

"I don't know what I did wrong… But she left. She never wanted me." He chuckled a little bit, shaking his head. "I was an accident."  
>Pyrrha's eyes went wide and she couldn't help but feel angry. She didn't understand the source of the anger, but felt it nonetheless.<p>

"Jaune, don't say that!" She tried to grasp his hand but he pulled away, his eyes glued to the floor. "You absolutely were not!"

"If she wanted me, she would have stayed in my life, Pyrrha. She wanted me gone before I was even born." He looked up at her, his eyes were misty and held an expression so heartbreaking that she even felt like crying. "Knowing your parent doesn't care for your family enough to leave, not even send me a card on my birthday… It made me angry. But, then again, it made me who I am today. If she ever decided to come back, I don't know what I'd do. Maybe get angry again? I don't know." He relaxed a little bit, reaching out to mess around with Pyrrha's fingers once again. "And that's it. Maybe it was for the better… hey, you have long fingers. You should play piano." Pyrrha could tell he had had enough of the painful topic, and let him inspect her hands.

"Jaune, I know how you feel." Jaune's eyes jutted up and locked onto hers, giving her a quizzical look.

"What do you mean?"

"I also feel… I don't know, unloved?" Pyrrha retreated her hands and placed them both on her lap, unsure if she wanted to talk about this. She waited a second, then continued.

"I-It's my dad. He didn't leave, or anything, but he lives as though I don't exist. The only time he notices me is when I win a UFC tournament, or when I go through training. If I don't get top notch grades, he'll take it all away. Aside from that, he acts…" Pyrrha got choked up a bit, and Jaune reached out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "He acts as if I'm the worst thing that could have happened. He wanted a boy, but instead he got me." Jaune said nothing as Pyrrha's eyes began to well up. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm nothing but a disappointment and a failure to him! I try and I try, but nothing works! Why doesn't he love me!" Her cries grew loud and tears began to fall down her face. Jaune had never thought he'd see such a powerful woman break down in front of him like this. His distraught eyes could only watch as the girl he grew to care for.

"That's why I never allow anyone to help me. I feel like I need to do it all on my own, I don't want to be the damsel in distress, I just want him to recognize me… Maybe he's right. Maybe I'm just going to be nothing. Maybe I-!" she was cut off when she felt Jaune suddenly wrap his arms around her, bringing her into a tight embrace. She returned it, letting herself go and cry into his shoulder.

"You're wrong," he said soothingly, "You're incredibly wrong, Pyrrha." He brought her in front of him, his eyes locking on to her teary green jewels. "In such a short time, I've come to care about you. Never talk like that. You are an amazing person. You're going to be great, regardless of what your father thinks. We're gonna get through this, both of us," Jaune brought a careful finger up to Pyrrha's face, wiping away a tear. "Also, crying doesn't suit you. You're much too beautiful to cry." Pyrrha's despondent face brightened, a smile forming. She giggled like a nervous schoolgirl as Jaune used his shirt to wipe away all her tears.

"Much better."

"Thanks, Jaune." Jaune shrugged.

"You did the same for me. I guess we're kinda in the same boat, huh?" Pyrrha smiled, leaning in to rest her head on Jaune's chest.

"Yeah, I guess so…"

Jaune didn't have the nightmares about his mother that night.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So, let go, let go. Just get in, oh, it's so amazing here. It's all right, 'cause there's beauty in the breakdown.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Ruby and Weiss not too fleshed out because, well, Ruby didn't explode this time. Aaaaaaand having Weiss be super confrontational with a girl she just met isn't exactly "college" or even real. We thought about having their relationship be more like the canon show, but eh. We'll see more dynamics with them, maybe, possibly, maybe not, who knows, I do, ha.<strong>

**If you liked it, leave a review or follow or whatever for more. Next chapter will be more slice-of-lifey and not as long, maybe. **

**Bye bye!**


	11. Boy's (Day?) Out

**'Sup. Editing took a while, but if you follow me on Tumblr (reasonablename) you can gain access to my crappy snippets. Also, hey, even if you don't have an account- reviews speed this thing up. My editor WANTS to see what people like/dislike about our story. We encourage you to review. **

**This one's a doozy.**

**Are you ready?**

**Nice.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>So cling to what you know and never let go<strong>_

_**You should know things aren't always what they seem**_

* * *

><p>"You've been spending a lot of time with her."<p>

It was a bright sunny day. The sky was a soft shade of blue and there was a slight breeze in the air. Well, that's what it looked like from the window of Jaune's dark dorm anyways. He, Blake and Ren were all inside, casually discussing their thoughts on the last episode of Toradora they had just finished watching.

A couple weeks time had passed by since Jaune and Pyrrha's heart to heart; Yang had gone berserk that night once she realized Ruby was missing. Had Ren and Nora not convinced her that Jaune and Pyrrha had taken Ruby back to the quad, Yang would've certainly torn apart all of Beacon looking for her. Once everyone had been rounded up, Yang practically sprinted to her dorm, bursting through the door ready to murder Jaune and Pyrrha for not telling her they were leaving with Ruby. Her rage evaporated when she found not only Ruby, who was peacefully asleep on the couch, but Jaune and Pyrrha cuddled up together on the couch opposite Ruby. Pyrrha had her arms wrapped tightly around Jaune, and he held her head as his face was buried in her sea of red hair. Yang grinned devilishly as she noticed the traces of lipstick on Jaune's cheek, and decided to take some pictures instead of yelling. Pictures were worth a thousand words, and they made for pretty awesome blackmail.

The weeks to follow, the pictures and teasing Jaune and Pyrrha received from their friends went basically unnoticed by the two. Ever since the walls in between them came down that one night, the duo were nearly inseparable. They sat next to each other in class, they studied together, trained together, ate together, even had inside jokes. Jaune would attend Pyrrha's MMA fights, and she his wrestling matches. Yang noted that they spent as much time together as Ren and Nora, if not more. Even with their new found closeness, neither had the courage to tell the other their true feelings.

For Jaune nothing was more humiliating than misreading a girl, so because of this he read any and all of Pyrrha's advances as friendly rather than romantic. Oblivious to the situation, Jaune was sure he was deep in the friend zone; lately he had thought about possibly asking some other random girl on a date, but the interest was never there.

Pyrrha, taking advice from her best friend Yang, had been trying to subtly hint at her affections for Jaune. Unfortunately for her, Jaune was much too dense for subtly. Yang suggested more... direct methods, but Pyrrha was in now way bold enough to make such advances. Their friends watched as the two struggled, deciding it was best just to "let lost puppies find their way."

* * *

><p>"You two remind me of Ryuuji and Taiga. You say something dumb, and Pyrrha beats the hell out of you." Ren smiled as he watched Jaune turn a light pink and crack a smile, seeing the resemblance clearly.<p>

"I don't say dumb stuff…"

"I beg to differ."

"Shut up, Blake."

"What did you ask yesterday? 'Does rocks float on lava?'" Ren tried to remain straight-faced as Blake spoke, her deadpan expression selling it perfectly.

"It was a legitimate question!"

"What did he ask a couple days back?" Ren asked, "Oh, he asked Pyrrha if she'd ever take money for sex." Blake bit her bottom lip in an attempt to not laugh, remembering what happened immediately after Jaune asked that incredibly awkward question.

"...Alright. But, it wasn't my fault, I was curious!" Jaune rubbed his shoulder, which was still slightly bruised from the punch he received after asking Pyrrha the question.

"I rest my case. Thanks Ren." Blake flashed Ren a smile and relaxed back onto the futon. She enjoyed making Jaune flustered; in their group of friends, they found he was the funniest to tease, next to Weiss. Jaune pouted at his friends, got up and was about to swap the DVD in his Xbone for the next when he heard both his and Ren's phones ring.

"Sun wants us to meet him in the courtyard," Ren broadcasted, the faint light of the cell phone seen in his eyes, "I'm gonna head to my room to change. See ya in a bit." The magenta eyed boy promptly got up, said goodbye to Blake and swiftly exited the dorm, leaving Blake and Jaune alone.

"Guess we'll have to continue this show next time," Blake sighed, getting up as she was about to leave, "I'll see you later, Jaune." She was about to open the door when Jaune finally spoke up.

"Hey, hold up."

"Hmm?" Blake turned back around, her face questioning. "Something wrong?"

"I wouldn't say wrong," Jaune took a few steps forward, his eyes locked onto Blake's black bow, "just have a question for ya." Blake traced his sapphire eyes and realized where he was looking, a faint blush forming on her face.

"W-What is it?"

"'What is it?" Don't act like you don't know. When are you gonna tell everyone?" Blake knew the question would turn up eventually, and shook her head. She and Jaune had history, going way back to elementary school…

* * *

><p><em><strong>Nine years prior...<strong>_

Blake sat alone at the long, wooden lunch table, quietly eating her tuna fish sandwich. She was the 'new girl' at this elementary school, and she had been aware of the stares and whispers she'd been receiving all day. As she scanned the lunchroom, the different colored eyes all giving her quick glances, she realized something. She was _different._

_'I don't belong here, no one would want to be friends with a freak like me.'_ Her teacher treated her a bit differently, and no one wanted to sit next to her. During gym class, no one wanted to be her partner. All because of her stupid cat ears; god, she'd do anything to remove them from existence. She wasn't some _animal_, she was a person! At least, that's what she thought before the stares and whispers.

Blake returned her attention to her lunch, a pit forming in her stomach, when she heard the sound of a tray gently placed down to the right of her. Her head swung over, her amber stare meeting the deep blue eyes of a messy haired blond boy in an orange shirt and faded blue jeans.

"Why are you eating alone?" he asked, flashing her a wide, friendly wide. Blake pouted and narrowed her eyes, ready for the boy to tease her about her ears.

"Because."

"Can I eat with you?" Blake's expression softened at the question. Why was this boy being so nice?

"I-I guess so." The boy plopped down next to her, and he adjusted his neon orange tray in front of him. He had a big slice of cheese pizza and a small chocolate milk carton; which reminded Blake that she had forgotten to pack a drink for lunch today. The blond boy grinned and bit into his pizza, who immediately regretted it after feeling how hot the pizza was. Blake giggled a little bit, but then reserved herself, putting her hands on her lap and staring at her sandwich.

"How come you don't have a drink?" Blake gave the boy a quick look before returning it to her lap.

"I forgot it."

"Here, have mine." Blake watched the brown carton come into view, right above her sandwich.

"What about you?" she asked, watching the boy smile.

"I don't need it. No give backs!" Blake smiled as the boy triumphantly opened the carton for her.

"Why aren't you sitting with your friends?" Blake pointed over to a group of boys, who were laughing and seemed to be having a grand time. Jaune scowled at them, before giving Blake a gentle smile.

"Because they're jerks. Also, we're friends now, so I _ammmmmm_ sitting with my friend." He stopped, frowning and looking at her sheepishly. "If you're okay with that." Blake couldn't hide her rosy cheeks fast enough as she looked in the opposite direction. They sat in silence for a few moments, the boy looking at Blake curiously. She lowered her blushing face in embarrassment before speaking.

"Y-yeah, that's okay." She stammered nervously, causing Jaune's face to light up in excitement. He took another bite of his pizza, crying out in pain when he burned his tongue for the second time. Blake giggled at her strange new friend, then paused as he tapped her shoulder. He swallowed his pizza, then motioned towards her purple cat ears.

"Can I touch your kitty ears?" At the mention of them, the ears flattened on top of Blake's head. For just a few minutes, her worries and anxiety over the ears had vanished, only for the floodgates to open over such a silly question.

"U-Um-"

"They look really soft." The boy gave Blake a quizzical look before his left hand slowly approached the top of her head. He paused, his expression asking for Blake's permission. She offered him a slow nod, and the boy reached up, gently petting her ears.

"Wow! They are soft!" The blond's mouth slowly opened in amazement, and Blake had to admit, what he was doing felt nice. He continued for a few moments, amazed by her faunus heritage. "You're so cool, I wish I had..." the boy mulled it over for a few seconds before nodding, "A shark fin." Blake giggled a little and gave the boy a confused look.

"A shark fin?"

"So I could scare people at the beach and in pools."

"Oh." The boy shrugged, and the two returned to eating; Blake would occasionally laugh at the boy's silly questions as they ate. A few seconds after Blake finished her milk the bell rang, indicating the end of lunch.

"It was nice meeting you!" The boy beamed a bright smile and turned to leave, but Blake frowned.

"My name is Blake." This caused the blue eyed boy to turn back around, still wearing his cheesy grin.

"I'm Jaune!"

"Thanks for eating with me." Blake's face flushed a little bit as she looked down, swaying back and forth.

"Well, can I eat with you tomorrow too?" A wide grin formed on Blake's face at his question, and she looked away shyly.

"That'd be… that'd be nice."

"Okay! Bye, Blakey!"

"...Don't call me that!" Blake cried in mock anger.

"I'm going to anyway." She watched Jaune quickly walk away, being sure he had the last word. Her cheeks flushed and she had a weird feeling in her tummy. She threw her trash away and walked back to her classroom; Maybe her first day wasn't so bad after all.

Blake's crush on Jaune only grew more and more as the days flew by. Jaune ate lunch with Blake every day, would play with her at recess every day, and when the other boys would ridicule or throw things at her, Jaune would protect her. No one showed her kindness like he did. She would go over his house for play dates, but she always found it weird that Jaune's mom was never home.

Before middle school, to cut back on the ogling and teasing, Blake started to wear her black bow; she noticed how much it bothered Jaune that she would hide who she truly was, but it was the only way to prevent the discrimination. He always told her she looked better without the bow, but she never believed him.

A few more years went by, and though she and Jaune still stayed in touch, they also became much more distant. Their interests frayed; Jaune had his wrestling, Blake her writing and reading. They talked much less, their exchanges were quick. Blake had made many friends over the years thanks to her bow, but secretly all she wanted to repair her relations with Jaune. _She still liked him._

Then, junior year of high school came around, and…

* * *

><p>"I don't know what you're talking about."<p>

"I thiiiink you do," Jaune replied, his hand quickly shooting up and snatching away Blake's bow before she could react.

"Hey!" Blake's hands covered her head, a feeling of nakedness washing over her.

"C'mon, you gotta face the music at some point Blakey-Blake."

"Give me the ribbon back."

"Move your hands, and I'll consider it."

"I'm going to _murder_ you."

"You can try." Blake scowled as she slowly removed her hands from atop her head, revealing two purple cat ears. She rubbed her left arm and averted her eyes from Jaune's smiling face, she couldn't help but feel ashamed.

"You look so much better without the bow, y'know."

"Shut. Up." Jaune couldn't help himself. He reached forward and gave Blake's left cat ear a few scratches, making her turn a fierce red and slap his arm away, then sending a kick to his stomach.

"Meow." He grunted as he rubbed his abs and tossed Blake her ribbon, which she quickly tied and covered her second set of ears. She released a disgruntled sigh and stared at Jaune.

"I'll tell them when I'm ready, you dick."

"They'll be more offended that you kept it from them, not that you're faunus."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, but Sun and Adam do." Blake held her tongue. Jaune was right. She never realized it, but Sun and adam were widely accepted in their group. She just felt so gross without her bow, even though she enjoyed Jaune's compliment quite a lot. She was just so used to concealing her identity that at this point; revealing to a group of people that she had been lying to them wasn't something she wanted to do just yet.

"I'm leaving."

"See ya, Blakey." Blake paused, her amber eyes narrowed towards the blond.

"...Don't call me that."

"You didn't mind in high school."

"That was... different."

"Oh, yeah? Why's that?" Jaune shot Blake a sly smile, making her cheeks flush pink. "Hey, do you remember when we-"

"Bye." The door slammed shut, and Jaune thought about chasing her to see what would happen, but shook his head as turned to his closet to change into gym shorts and a t-shirt, his smile still present. _'She's almost too fun to mess with.'_ He rolled his neck around, hearing a few slight pops and cracks, before checking his phone to confirm what Ren said.

"What the hell does Sun want..." He murmured, locking his door and heading to the courtyard.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to hang with the guys for a bit."<p>

"Lame."

"We can get ice cream later, Nora. I'll probably only be an hour."

"But I want it _nooooow_!"

"Ask your roommate to go with you, then." Ren was in his room, pulling on his shoes. He had just gotten done changing when Nora burst through the door, demanding Ren to go with her to the dining hall to get some sugary frozen treats.

"It won't be the same!"

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun with Velvet."

"I said it won't be the saaaaaaame!" Nora whined, pouting. She didn't have anything against her roommate; Velvet was a very nice girl. Nora especially liked the fact that she had big, fluffy bunny ears, but today she wanted to get ice cream with her favorite boy, not her favorite bunny-faunus. She watched as Ren adjusted his attire in the mirror- she was surprised that he was in gym shorts and a baggy green tee. "I like when you dress like that."

"Hmm?" Ren looked at Nora's reflection in the mirror, her eyes staring back. "Why's that?"

"I dunno. You just look so… _tough_. It's boopin'!"

"Boopin'. That's new."

"That's how you look though."

"Thanks, Nora." Ren turned around and smiled, which Nora readily returned. He walked forward and put his hands on her shoulders. "Tell ya what. How about you get ice cream with Velvet now, and next time you ask, I can't say no, I promise." He looked up and smirked at the cute smile and rosy cheeks of his friend.

"D-Deal!" Nora replied, slightly choked up. Ren never acted so charming before, was something wrong? Did he have a fever? Nora cautiously touched his forehead, to which Ren furrowed his brow a bit.

"I'm not sick."

"Just making sure." Ren let go of her and walked to his desk, picking up his keys and phone and placing them in his pocket.

"Alright, I'm outta here. Tell Velvet I said 'hello'." With that, Ren led Nora out of his room and locked it behind him. "And please, don't make a mess, or get Velvet into any trouble like the last time you two hung out."

"No promises, since you won't be there. Who knows, maybe Velvet wants to do some extreme table-surfing!"

"Nora, am I going to have to take away a certain someone's stuffed animal and give it to our blonde friend?" Nora's eyes narrowed and shot Ren an extremely intimidating glare.

"Which animal we talkin'."

"Oh, let me rephrase. I'm actually not talking about an _animal_ per say. Rather… your favorite _plushie_."

"You wouldn't dare, Lie."

"Try me." Ren knew when Nora used his first name she was serious, but if he backed out now he knew Nora would cause some sort of ruckus just to annoy him. By threatening to give Nora's favorite, and admittedly most embarrassing, plush to Yang, he knew she'd stay in line. Silence held for a few more seconds, light blue jewels staring down magenta.

"For the sake of little-Ren… I don't think Velvet feels like table-surfing today." Nora defeatedly huffed, her eyes still narrowed and fists clenched. "Low blow, big-Ren."

"It's all out of love."

"Go have fun with dumb and dumber. Oh, if dumber asks any silly questions, text me them!"

"Will do."

"Bye, Ren!" Nora's face brightened and she skipped down the hall, waving goodbye until she disappeared into the stairwell. Ren let out a sigh as he scratched his head.

_'I can't believe she brought the plush of me here.'_

* * *

><p>"Alright bitches, listen up." Sun stood in front of Adam, Jaune and Ren, his arms crossed and tail swaying as his face expressed determination. He didn't have a shirt on, for it was wrapped around his head, and his body reflected how hot it was due to the beads of sweat forming all around. "I have called you here today for a very important reason."<p>

"Why's that?" Adam asked, his face expressionless behind his sunglasses.

"And why are we wearing gym clothes if we aren't going to the gym?" Jaune added, "we aren't going to the gym, right?"

"No, we're not," Sun answered, "The reason you're here is because we have yet to have a boy's night out."

"...But it's day," Ren answered with a hint of malice in his tone, "and we _always_ hang out."

"But whenever we do, one of the girls is around," Sun paced back and forth, as if he were a professor giving a lecture, "don't get me wrong, I love the girls. We all love them, right?"

"Yeah."

"Sure."

"Define 'love'."

"Right. However, the girls can sometimes get annoying, right?" Sun walked up to Ren, placing a hand on his right shoulder. "Ren, how does an entire day without scolding Nora sound?" Ren's head tilted to the side in thought, a small smirk forming.

"Sounds kinda nice."

"And Adam," Sun continued, now placing a hand on the fellow faunus' shoulder, "Sitting in silence, giving Blake a massage as she reads… is that fun for you?" Adam looked around, being sure his girlfriend wasn't in earshot.

"Not at _all_." Sun finally walked over to Jaune, his arms crossed.

"Jaune, you know you could go for a day without getting punched in the mouth by Pyrrha, or asked if you need help with your homework by her."

"Yeah, I guess I could."

"Great! What I'm suggesting is a day without them. Just us four. I already have a plan for the day." Sun took out a pad of paper from his pocket, unfolding it.

* * *

><p>Yang peeked around the large tree she was behind, trying to hear what Sun was saying.<p>

"What's he saying?" Nora asked, who was directly behind the blonde.

"I don't know, I can't hear him."

"This is so dumb. Why am I spying on my boyfriend and his friends again?" Blake asked, who was reading her book next to Nora.

"Because I said so."

"Yang, this is ridiculous," Pyrrha added, who stood next to Blake, "what are we doing?" Yang perked up, stood straight and turned to the other three girls, getting their undivided attention.

"Recon."

"Recon?" the three replied in unison, equally as confused.

"Haven't you ever wondered what guys do?"

"Not to the point of stalking them." Pyrrha answered.

"Not _stalking_. Recon," Yang clarified, "girls, these are _our_ boys. Not any other girl's. They're _ours_, right?" The three hesitantly and unenthusiastically nodded, making Yang sigh. "So you'd all be okay if other girls decided to claim them as theirs?" She looked over to Nora, "If Ren got a new best friend?" then to Blake, "Adam a new girlfriend?" and finally Pyrrha, "and Jaune a new training partner?" The three shook their heads frantically, the thought of being replaced not too appealing to them.

"Exactly," Yang continued her speech, "so, we're just doing some recon to make sure no girls get as bold to try and steal our boys."

"Yang, you're crazy," Nora commented, her face getting close, "I _love_ it." Beside Nora, Pyrrha and Blake furrowed their brows at one another, sending the same thought telepathically.

"I'm calling BS on that. This isn't about _us_. This is about _you_. We wouldn't be doing this if you didn't constantly try to make Sun jealous," Pyrrha stated, "Admit it, we're not doing recon. You're just making sure Sun isn't hooking up with another girl."

"Look, I wouldn't need to make him jealous if he made it official already, dammit," Yang snapped, returning to her post behind the tree, "there's got to be a reason why he isn't doing it, and I have to know."

"Why don't you just ask him to be your boyfriend?" Blake asked, her face buried back into her book, "and why are we here if this is all about you?"

"The _gu_y is supposed to ask, not the _girl_, and you're here for moral support along with the fact that all of the guys are in on this," Yang answered, cupping her ears, "now shut up, Sun's starting to talk again."

* * *

><p>"First, we'll take a nice run through campus."<p>

"Running sucks." Jaune butted in.

"Agreed." Adam commented, nodding his head.

"Don't complain, we're doing it you lazy bitches," Sun scolded, "Second, we'll get burritos at Kuja's."

"I don't want a burrito."

"Third, we're gonna have a Super Smash tourney at the arcade."

"No fair! Ren's gonna win!" Jaune blurted, covering his mouth immediately afterwards.

"Why's that?" Ren asked, crossing his arms in mock annoyance.

"Nevermind. Dibs on Marth."

"Sure, pick the best character." Adam added in.

"Shut up, idiots. Alright, fourth, we'll go to the Red Rose for drinks!"

"We don't have fake ID's, how will we get in?" Jaune held his hands up in curiosity.

"I know a guy," Sun answered Jaune, "don't worry about it."

"I'm worried."

"Shut up. Alright!" Sun exclaimed, "part one of boy's night … day?... out starts….. now!" Sun darted off down the sidewalk, leaving the other three behind. They all groaned, not wanting to run in such heat.

"Why is he making us run?" Ren asked, "there must be a reason."

"He's been complaining about how Yang always flirts with other guys, even when he's around," Jaune answered, shrugging, "Guess he figures running around shirtless, when every girl on campus will be outside, is some sort of payback, and he doesn't want to do it alone."

"Why would Yang need to make him jealous?"

"Probably so he grows a pair and asks her out officially." Adam answered.

"So this is one big plot to get back at Yang," Ren concluded, "Do we go along with it?"

"Sure," Jaune said, "Whatever it takes to not get punched today. Pyrrha hits hard. And asks me about my homework a lot. I think she thinks I'm dumb."

"Because you are."

"Thanks, Adam." The blond began to run in the direction Sun took off in, looking back at motioning for his friends to follow suit. They groaned, but eventually their feet picked up the pace and they all caught up to Sun, unaware of the other four quietly following them.

* * *

><p>"I lied. I <em>did<em> want a burrito." Jaune, Ren, Sun and Adam all sat on a bench in the middle of campus, enjoying the post-run burritos they bought from Kuja's. All four were shirtless at this point, the intense heat leaving their shirts nothing but drenched rags that sat in front of them. With the lack of clothing came an intense increase of stares and the occasional whistle from girls around campus; it was nothing different from the run itself.

"Yeah, this burrito is bitchin'." Sun said before he took another bite, making the other three laugh at his terminology.

"The run wasn't." Ren commented, taking a bite.

"Schut up," Sun replied with his mouth full, "did choo see all dos gurls lookin' at ush?"

"Yeah, they're laughing at how dumb you look talking with your mouth full," Adam replied, pointing over to a group of girls that were giggling at them, "I don't think I'm allowed to have girls giggle at me. Blake will kill them." Sun furrowed his brow and gulped down his food before speaking.

"No one cares what you think, Taurus," the monkey-faunus wiped his mouth, then with the same hand motioned towards Ren and Jaune, "We're single, and therefore _like_ when girls giggle at us."

"I don't."

"_Shut up_ Ren." Jaune beamed a wide smile at Ren, who was flicking Sun off. When he returned his attention to what was in front of him, he noticed a black haired girl in a red sundress walking towards them. Jaune thought perhaps she was someone they knew and squinted to try and see her better. He realized that was not the case when he noticed her fiery yellow and orange eyes. They moved over his body hungrily, scrutinizing him like a predator does its prey.

"Uh, any of you guys know this chick?" Jaune quietly asked, the other three boys looking up and taking a quick glance at the girl who was approaching them.

"I think I've seen her around before…"

"No clue."

"Looks like she knows who you are."

* * *

><p>"Nora, no, you can't break that girls phone!"<p>

"But she has pictures of them!" Nora shook a bit as Blake held her back from stomping over and smashing a girl's phone after she took a picture of the boys.

"Yeah, cool your jets Nora. We're doing _recon_, not _attrition_." Yang didn't bother to look away from the fake pair of binoculars she created with her hands. Pyrrha sat behind the blonde with her legs crossed, wishing that she wasn't being dragged on this stupid little mission. Sure, seeing Jaune run with his shirt off for a minute was kinda nice, but aside from that, there was much more she could be doing, like studying, or helping Jaune with his biology homework.

"Who's that walking towards Jaune?" Yang asked, poking Pyrrha's side as she peered around the lamppost she was behind. "Oh, shit, is that...? Yup, that's her, I heard about her. You might want to make note of this bitch, Pyr!"

"I'm sure she has no interest in Jaune, she could be walking to any of the boys," Pyrrha semi-confidently replied, hoping she was right, "but who is it, exactly?"

"Captain of the girl's lacrosse team," Yang answered, narrowing her eyes, "I don't think you understand the severity of the situation."

"W-What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked, her eyes reflecting a genuine sense of interest all of the sudden.

"She's a known man-stealer."

* * *

><p>"See something you like, baby?" Sun smiled cheerfully at the dark haired girl before them, standing up in a flash and motioning towards his body.<p>

"I do, and it's certainly _not_ you, Curious George." Sun's shoulders slumped at the girls insult, and his friends only made it worse by laughing.

"Guys! Don't laugh, she's a bitch!" Sun exclaimed, his arms flailing every which way.

"Oh, if only I had a nickel for every time some chump called me that." The yellow eyed girl tilted her head and smiled wickedly at Sun who looked to his friends for backup. However, no assistance came.

"Anyway," the girl continued, walking up to Jaune and pointing at him, "You. Stand up." Jaune's eyes widened in surprise, and he pointed to himself before glancing over at Adam and Ren in confusion. They only shrugged, unsure of what to do or say. Jaune hesitantly did as he was told, standing up slowly as he watched the girls yellow eyes scan over his body again. She smiled at him, narrowing her eyes a bit.

"Yes, I definitely see something I like," she purred, sending shivers down Jaune's spine, "What's your name?"

"Jaune…"

"Jaune. That's what I thought it was. You're the wrestler, right?" Jaune chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to reply with. "I'm Cinder." She took out her cell phone from the small handbag she was carrying and held it out to him. "Give me your number. I'd very much like to… get to know you."

"Whoa there," Sun intervened, stepping in between Jaune and Cinder and pushing them apart, "He has a girl." He turned to give Jaune a look, but was too slow.

"What? No I don't…" Jaune said honestly, unaware of what Sun was talking about. Sun shook his head. He looked defeatedly at Cinder, who smiled viciously.

"Nice try." Cinder pushed Sun aside, stepping close to Jaune and putting her phone in his hand. "You see, I'm captain of the lacrosse team, and I've seen how hard you train. You show determination and passion for your sport, something every man should show, and something every woman should admire." She ran a finger down Jaune's chest, making him squirm in surprise. "Which I, for one, admire. It's such a surprise no girl had snatched you up. Now, I just want your number," she brushed some hair away from her face, "I've seen you squat, and I would love some help with mine… maybe we can even be training partners. All I'm asking for is a little… cooperation, Jaune." Her eyes stared into Jaune's, making his face flush a bright red. His brain short-circuited as he panicked.

"I-uh, uh, well, I already have a, you see- look, it's just-"

"People are starting to stare, Jaune. Make up your mind."

"U-uh, yeah, uh, let me just…" Jaune quickly entered his information into Cinder's ePhone, handing it back to her. She took a step back, smiling down at the device.

"I'm going to the bar tonight with my team. You should come."

"I mean, really? Is this a joke-"

"It's not. So, please? I know we just met, but I can make it worth your while if you come." Cinder pouted, her eyes dancing as they dug into Jaune's. Jaune felt as if he had no control over himself. This girl was like no other- she melted his brain beyond comprehension. Her flirtatious and bold ways of speech were too much, he couldn't make jokes to worm himself out. He thought about Pyrrha for a split second- but he remembered that he was only going to be a friend to her. This girl, however, showed obvious interest and asked him out. Why throw away an opportunity like this?

"Y-Yeah, uh, sure."

"Great. It's a date, then. See ya, Jaune." Cinder blew the blond a kiss before turning and walking away, swaying her hips as Jaune's eyes locked onto her rear. He shook himself out of it before long, catching himself staring when the girl turned around and smiled.

"Smooth, buddy." Adam was still sitting on the bench, he hadn't moved an inch since she came over.

"D-...Did I just score a date?!" Jaune exclaimed, "YES! I HAVE A DATE! Suck it, Sun!" He stopped and looked at the other three. "Who is she again?"

"Cinder Fall, captain of the lacrosse team," Adam answered, sitting up, "Also known as the most promiscuous girl on campus. Congrats."

"My 'holy-shit-she's-crazy' meter is off the charts." Sun commented, looking to Jaune. "Have Pyrrha fight her."

"That'd be hot."

"Shut up."

Jaune looked over to Ren, a smile plastered on his face. "Ren, I have a date."

"I saw."

"Just making sure, cause, y'know."

"Oh, an eye joke. Very classy, Jaune."

"It's funny."

* * *

><p>"Pyrrha, no!" Yang and Blake held Pyrrha by the arms as she struggled, trying to bolt in the direction she saw Cinder walk off in. "You're gonna blow our cover, and we're missing what they're saying!"<p>

"I just wanna talk to her, is all." Pyrrha's voice was calm, but her eyes were dark and full of murderous intent.

"Py-PYRRHA!"

"I juuuuuust wanna talk, guys, really."

* * *

><p>"You hear something?" Ren asked as the four went to throw their trash away. The burritos hit the spot, and the next item on the list was the Super Smash tournament. The encounter with Cinder ate up some precious time, and Sun wanted them to get back on schedule.<p>

"Nah, you're going crazy. Maybe it's all the time you spend with Nora, you're starting to hear shit." Jaune replied, finally fully snapped out of the spell Cinder cast on him.

"Have you ever felt like you're being watched…?" Sun asked, placing a finger on his chin. He squinted and looked around, trying to see if someone really was watching. He stopped for a moment and smiled; he shrugged, then turned to his friends. "Alright, we need shirts if we wanna get into the arcade."

"They're drenched, I'm not wearing mine." Jaune stated, holding his still damp shirt up.

"Same," Adam added, "I'm guessing this is a hiccup in your plan."

"Nope!" Sun then sprinted and jumped into some nearby bushes that were planted next to the building closest to them. He popped his head up, holding a black trash bag. He ran back over and threw three white tees to each of his party.

"You're fucking kidding." Adam said, holding the shirt up and reading what was written on it.

"Nope, you have to wear it."

"No."

* * *

><p>The four walked into the arcade, each wearing a shirt that read "Boy's Night Out" in Sharpie. They paid entrance, and the cashier trying not to laugh as they walked in and towards the GameSphere set up on the far end. They set up Super Smash, with Jaune playing Marth, Adam as Fox, Ren as Samus and Sun as Pikachu.<p>

"The pain train has no brakes, bitches!" Sun exclaimed as Samus' heel connected with Pikachu's face.

* * *

><p>"They're playing some weird game." Yang reported, squinting to get a better look.<p>

"Why is that orange guy kicking the shit out of a little mouse?" Blake furrowed her brow and looked over to Pyrrha, who could only offer a look of mutual confusion and shrugged.

"Go Ren!" Nora exclaimed, being pulled back behind the potted plants by Yang.

"Hey I'll be right back, I have to do something." Pyrrha tried to walk away and find a certain Cinder, but was grabbed by the shoulders and pulled back to the recon spot. The red haired girl sat cross legged, facing away from the other three.

"Beating her up won't stop her from getting Jaune." Yang said sternly. "So she flirted a bit, big whoop. I've been _telling_ you this would happen if you didn't do something!"

"What you want me to do is crazy!" Pyrrha cried, her face pink at the thought of actually going through with one of Yang's ideas to get Jaune, "but Cinder won't get him, he's smarter than that. Plus he's _my_ little warrior. Not that tramp's." Pyrrha's eyes went wide and cheeks went rosy when she realized she just revealed what she calls Jaune in her head every time she trains him in MMA. Sure enough, she saw Yang's face creep into her peripheral.

"Did you just say he's your… _little… warrior_…!?" Yang burst into laughter, causing Blake and Nora to follow suit. "Look," Yang said after a minute of hysterical laughter, "all you gotta do is get to him before she can. Enough with the subtle shit- Jaune's not smart, Pyr, he's stupid. You gotta lay the cards on the table, and you're gonna do it _tonight_."

* * *

><p>"I knew she'd follow…" Sun murmured to himself, placing the GameSphere controller down, "but congrats, Ren, for being the Super Smash champ! You piece of shit!"<p>

"Thanks."

"Like we didn't see that coming…" Adam whispered, making Jaune laugh.

"Alright, next on the list- the bar! We need to freshen up and look fly." Sun stood up and stretched, making his way towards the exit. Before he walked out, however, he looked to Jaune. "AND NO, you cannot hang out with Cinder if she shows up. Bros before hoes."

"I don't think I have a choice..."

"I said no, bitch. Now let's go, we're burning valuable time!"

* * *

><p>Jaune began to fasten the buttons to his blue button down, looking in the mirror to make sure his hair was perfectly messy. Sun was down in Ren's room with Adam, probably discussing their plan to keep Cinder away from Jaune. The blond expected as much, but he never asked for the girl to come on so strong. He fastened the top button and walked over to grab his things before joining the boys.<p>

_'Keys, phone, wallet… good to-'_ a knock on the door interrupted his chain of thought. He walked over and opened the door, revealing none other than Pyrrha. Her curly red hair was down and the floral aroma of her perfume tickled his nose. She was in a rather revealing black dress, and she had a golden upper arm bracelet that spiraled around a couple of times. Jaune blinked a few times, bringing himself back to earth.

"Pyrrha?" he asked, "how did you get in my building?"

"That's not important." Pyrrha bit her lip and stared at Jaune for a few seconds. Her vision then shot straight down to the floor. "Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to… um, if you'd like to go out with me tonight?" Her face crimson, she looked back up to Jaune, only to see him staring at his phone rather than her. "If you're not busy…?"

"Huh?" he asked, giving Pyrrha a quick glance before returning to his phone, "Sorry, someone I met today just texted me."

"O-Oh, no, it's okay," Pyrrha stuttered, anger filling her mind at the thought of who the text might be from, "take your time." Pyrrha's stared at Jaune's face as he smiled slightly at the device, the sound of his finger pads tapping the screen filling the hall. The light finally shut off, and he brought his gaze back to the beauty before him.

"So what's up, Pyr-Pyr?"

"I-I was just, um, wondering, if you… if you wanted to go out with me tonight." Jaune tsked and shook his head.

"Ooooh, sorry Pyr, no can do," he replied, "Tell everyone I'm sorry, Cin- uh, Sun already made me and the guys plans."

"What do you mean, everyone?" Pyrrha asked, her heart starting to pound.

"Oh, aren't you asking me to go out with you, Nora, Blake and all them?" Jaune scratched his head, a bit confused by what was going on.

"N-No, it'd just be you and me," Pyrrha clarified, "Couldn't you maybe go out with them another time?" Jaune furrowed his brow for a split second. _'Why is she so adamant about this, we hang out all the damn time!'_

"Pyrrha, we hang _all_ the time! I wanna go out with the boys tonight, plus, between you and me," Jaune leaned in, "I got a date!" Pyrrha felt her throat go very, very dry and a ringing sound came from nowhere.

"A-A date?"

"Yeah, this girl totally asked me out, and I'm going down to the bar to see her!" Jaune told Pyrrha excitedly, "Isn't that great?" Pyrrha just stood in silence, staring at Jaune as he did his trademark awkward chuckle and leaned back a bit. "U-Uh, Pyrrha, you okay?" After another few seconds of silence, Jaune's phone buzzed, and he stared back down on it.

"Yeah, Jaune, that's... that's just great. Really Great. And I'm fine. Have fun tonight." Her voice was stern, yet held a sense of pain she hoped Jaune would catch up on.

"Cool. Later." Jaune then stepped back, letting the door slowly swing closed in Pyrrha's face. She had the urge to bust the door down and punch Jaune in the face. She clenched her fists and teeth. She had put herself out there, only to be shot down embarrassingly by her best friend. The girl stood, astonished, then finally mustered enough will to turn and walk towards the stairwell, where she was greeted by a gentle hug from Nora.

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><p>"Jaune, stop looking for her. You're not gonna spend time with her!" Sun took another sip of his drink, shaking his head.<p>

"I'm not looking for her. She's probably looking for me!"

"Well this is fun," Adam said sarcastically as he sat casually in between Ren and Jaune, "sure glad we didn't invite the girls."

"Guys, we don't need them to have fun!" Sun exclaimed, "I'm having a blast!" Sun was met with dead stares and relaxed back into his chair. The bar was noisy and everyone seemed to be chipper, but the four sat in relative silence for a minute. After an hour and a half of lame jokes and bad beer, it was safe to say the fun died a long time ago. "Fine. This sucks."

"I mean it's not that bad," Ren said, trying to cheer Sun up, "but how about we get the real reason behind all of this?" Sun sighed heavily and took another swig of his drink.

"Yang flirts with other guys all the time. Pisses me off. So I thought I'd give her a taste of her own medicine. She and the girls were following us the whole time, I saw them."

"Why don't you just tell her that?" Adam asked, leaning forward onto the counter, "and how do you know they were following us?"

"Have you met Yang? She'd just tell me to fuck myself…" Sun clicked his tongue, "and I saw her outside when we were eating. Kinda hard to miss when three of the girls are behind one skinny lamppost and a potted plant next to it has a black bow."

"Wait- all the girls were following?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah. I just didn't want to let the cat out of the bag."

"So… how much did they see?" Ren questioned as he stared at the bottle in his hand, his thumb wiping away some of the condensation.

"I'm going to go ahead and assume everything." Sun shrugged and took another sip of his beverage.

"Oh, _god._" Ren buried his face in his hands, remembering the girl who had given him her number and hoping that Nora hadn't hunted her down.

"Heh." Adam smirked, knowing his girlfriend would make him "pay" for allowing girls to take selfies with him blatantly posing in the background.

"That's nuts," Jaune smiled, "you guys are in for it." The other three furrowed their brows at Jaune.

"What, and you're not?" Adam asked.

"Why would I be?" Jaune countered, "I didn't do anything."

"Uhh, hello? You gave your number to _Cinder_, with _Pyrrha_ watching." Ren said bluntly in an annoyed tone.

"So?" Jaune raised his palms, not seeing the point being made.

"How the hell do you think Pyrrha felt about that?" Sun added, the three ganging up on the blond. Jaune gave a peeved expression before continuing.

"What's she have to do with anything? She doesn't look at me that way, she's just a great friend," Jaune answered, "She came to my room and I talked to her before I met you guys at Ren's room. She was fine!" All three of them stared at Jaune in utter disbelief.

"Are you a _fucking_ idiot!?" Adam slammed his bottle down, a loud clang riddling through the bar. Jaune jumped a bit, surprised by the sudden outburst. Adam took his sunglasses off, staring directly at Jaune. "What did she say?"

"She asked for me to hang out, and I said I couldn't, why?" Adam was speechless, putting his glasses back on and sitting back in his chair with a heavy sigh of disappointment. He crossed his arms and looked forward.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. You guys can handle this."

"Handle what?" Jaune asked, looking at Ren then Sun, "What's going on!?" Sun stared angrily at Jaune for a few moments.

"I was going to let you figure this out on your own, but-"

"There you are, Jaune." A woman's voice interrupted Sun, making him scowl. He recognized it, and turned to see Cinder stood behind Jaune. Her hands were on his shoulders as she gently massaged them. "I've been looking for you." She cooed seductively.

"Oh, hey, Cinder…" Jaune said, surprised by the touch of the girl, "Do you mind if I meet up with you later, at a different time? We're all sort of talking."

"Talking about what?" Cinder spun Jaune's chair a bit and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around him, "Secrets are no fun. Whatever you can tell monkey-boy, bull-man and… the Locus… you can tell me." Ren had just about enough. He got up and stared at Cinder, who stared back with a slight smirk.

"What did you call me?"

"Oh, did I hurt the little boy's feelings?" Cinder leaned down and put her lips close to Jaune's ear, whispering, "how about we ditch these loser friends of yours." Jaune shook his head and grabbed Cinder's waist, softly pushing her off of him.

"Look, guys, lets not get hostile here. Cinder, would you mind leaving for a bit?"

"Make me." Cinder wrapped her arms around Jaune's neck and leaned into him, making him turn his head. He chuckled nervously and tried to fight down the blush forming on his face.

"Come on, Cinder. This is really, really not necessary. Just give me two more minutes, then, uh, we can leave." Jaune tried to sound as sincere as he could, his eyes rotating and glaring at Cinder's pondering face.

"Two minutes. Then, you're _mine_." She let go and kissed Jaune's neck, sending shivers down his back. Cinder then walked off, leaning against a pool table with her team as her eyes threw daggers at Jaune.

"Sun," Jaune said quickly, "what were you saying?" Sun wasn't looking back at Jaune, though, rather his phone. When his gaze did return, his haunted expression made Jaune's heart drop.

"I got a text from Yang. She says Pyrrha ran off and she, Blake nor Nora can find her." Sun paused for a second, shaking his head. "She's been gone for two hours, and she says it's because of _you_, Jaune."

"Blake texted me the same thing." Adam confirmed with the group, putting his phone away.

"Nora's calling," Ren said, standing up, "We should help." The four stood to leave, and as Jaune was making his way through the crowd he felt a soft hand grab his arm.

"Whoa there, tiger." Cinder pulled Jaune to her, surprising him. "You promised me we'd leave together. Where do you think you're going?" Jaune gridded his teeth together, wishing he would have been able to sneak out of the bar without Cinder realizing.

"Cinder, I have to go, something came up-" Jaune was cut off when he felt Cinder's hand grab the hair on the back of his head.

"No, you don't."

"No, really, I think we should just drop this-"

"So you're gonna leave a defenseless girl alone at this crappy bar?" Jaune bit his lip, his head turning and seeing his friends exiting the building.

"I'm sorry, but yeah, my friends-"

"Come onnnn, Jaune," Cinder laced her fingers with his, "just stay, I'm sure it can wait." Jaune sighed heavily and parted his hand from hers, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry." Jaune gently pulled the woman off of him. "I have to go. Have fun tonight." Jaune frowned and turned quickly, rushing out of the door to catch his party. Cinder just stood and wiped her lips, a smile forming.

"So, the redhead_ does_ have some pull with him. I can change that."

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><p>"This is all your fucking fault, Jaune!" Yang shouted furiously at Jaune, the only thing stopping her from tearing him apart being Ren and Nora holding her back. Yang was pretty worried about Pyrrha just running off- she'd never done something like this before. However, she was much more angry at Jaune for hurting her best friend.<p>

"I don't know what I did!" Jaune countered, equally as angry at the whole situation.

"Yes you do! Yes you do!" Yang tried to break free, but it was turning out to be futile. "You just_ had_ to give in to the biggest slut on campus when your stupid self couldn't realize what you had right in front of you!"

"What does that even mean?!"

"RRRRRAWGH!" Yang collapsed onto the ground, her anger tiring her out beyond measure. Blake led Jaune away, Ren and Adam close by.

"Listen, she's losing it," Blake said quietly, sighing, "We just need to walk around campus and see if Pyrrha's alright. I have faith that she'll come back, but she doesn't have her phone and we know from experience there's plenty of creeps on this campus."

"Better safe than sorry," Ren added, "I'll head towards the gym."

"I'll go towards the physics building." Adam stated.

"I'll go to Garnet Park." Jaune said, hoping everyones nerves would calm down by the time this was over.

"I'll go and talk to everyone else on what they wanna do," Blake commented, "text one of us if you find her." Everyone nodded, and headed off in different directions.

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><p>Pyrrha sat on a bench in front of the pond, feeling as though Jaune stabbed her heart. She wanted to cry, but was too angry to allow herself to. Instead, she sang. She let go of any insecurity she had over her voice and sang the song that always calmed her down.<p>

_'He struck me down. At least he has someone else.'_ She closed her eyes and let the song flow from her, as if it were second nature.

_'Fuckin' Yang. This is her fault. I never would have even liked the kid if she didn't keep bringing him up.'_ She paused for a moment, biting her lip, before starting the song over.

_'Okay, that's a lie. He's great. I should be happy for him, as a friend.'_ The song itself had no particular end, so she just continued to transfer her irritation into the soothing melodies.

_'But I'm not. God dammit, Jaune.'_

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><p><em>'Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.'<em> Jaune mentally slammed himself as he entered Garnet Park, the dim yellow lampposts lighting his way.

_'What the hell are they all talking about though? Something I never saw? How can I know about something I don't see? This is so confusing!_' He walked the path, the chirps of crickets and croaks of frogs filling the air. No one else was on the path, and he felt as if the darkness was waiting to swallow him up.

_'And Cinder… Sun was right. She's slammin' hot, but batshit crazy. Lucky me, right?'_ Jaune scanned the area, trying to spot the red hair of the girl he thought about very often.

_'Come on Fireball, please be okay.'_ As he got towards the pond, he heard what sounded like a woman's voice; not just a voice, rather, a woman singing. Jaune followed the vocals, maybe this person had seen Pyrrha. He couldn't see too far past the light of each lamp, so he had to trust his ears. The voice became clearer as he approached it.

_'Wait… I recognize that song. Could it be…?'_ The singing was as loud as it could get, and Jaune stood behind the very red haired girl he was looking for sitting on the bench facing the pond. Jaune waited behind her, letting the girl sing her heart out; the same song he had heard many, many years ago. It sent chills through his body as he stood, paralyzed.

_'How does she know this song!?'_ She finished, and the beautiful singing was replaced with the ambient noises of nature. Jaune just stood there, mesmerized. He wanted to call out her name, see what was wrong, but he didn't remember how to talk. He took a quiet step forward.

"Pyr-?"

"Leave me alone, Jaune. I don't want to talk to you."

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><p><strong>So we'll pretend it's alright, <strong>**and stay in for the night.**  
><strong>Oh what a world, <strong>**I'll keep you safe here with me.**

* * *

><p><strong>Cinder: every campus has one. And it's <em>amazing<em>. **

**Hope y'all like cliffhangers. Next chapter: A Night to Remember**

**Remember to review, fav or follow if you like this and wanna see more! Also remember that I'm on Tumblr and post snippets regularly!**


	12. A Night to Remember

**Hello, everyone. This chapter is shorted than usual, but action packed with awesome explosion scenes.**

**Ha.**

**If you enjoy this story, please do us a favor by following or even dropping a fav. Reviews are encouraged, don't feel timid to do so.**

**CH12- A Night To Remember. Enjoy.**

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><p><em><strong>"<strong>__**Days rolled on, shout it out, loud.**_

_**Days rolled on, we know the price we pay.**__**"**_

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><p>Jaune stood frozen as he gazed at the girl in front of him. His throat felt dry, and he could start to feel his whole body heating up and breaking into a sweat. After hanging out with girls for the majority of his time at Beacon, he would have thought he could handle talking to one if they were mad at him. However, all of the insecurities he had struck at once, rendering his mind blank and his body stiff.<p>

He'd never heard Pyrrha speak with such a tone- her Mistralian accent even broke through, allowing him to hear her natural voice. It was harsh, cold, and _real._ He wanted to turn around and walk away, like he had done to so many people before. So many times he'd ran, allowing friendships to crumble. Instead, he shook his head, cleared his throat and took another step forward.

"Why not?"

"Because… because _fuck_ you." Jaune was bewildered. His jaw slacked and his eyes opened wide as he just stared at the back of Pyrrha's red mane.

"Come on, why are you upset?!" Jaune begged for an answer.

"I asked you to leave me alone!" Pyrrha snapped, turning in her seat to shoot a murderous glare at Jaune. She let out a very heated grunt then turned back around, slouching in the bench she sat upon.

"Well tough shit, because I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on." Jaune's tongue scanned his mouth and he crossed his arms.

"Jaune. Just. Shut. Up."

"Everyone was worried! Yang was about to kill me!"

"I said shut up! Go away!"

"PYRRHA, what did I do!?" Jaune screamed as he threw his arms into the air and stomped his foot into the soil. Before Pyrrha could respond, Jaune continued to rant. "I know this is because of me, so what the fuck did I do! Oh, I didn't want to hang with you, big _fuckin' _whoop, get over it!" Silence held in the air for a few seconds.

"It's not that." Pyrrha replied, her head tilting downward and staring into her clasped hands. Jaune sighed, letting the anger channel out of him.

"Then what is it, Pyr," Jaune asked in a much more calmed manner, "what is it?" Pyrrha just shook her head and remained silent. She choked up, unable to tell Jaune the true reason of why she was upset.

Jaune took note of her silence. He looked down and studied his calloused palms, remembering what Yang was screaming before he started the search. Moreover, he remembered _everything _Yang had told him about Pyrrha.

'_Failed to realize something right in front of me, huh?' _Jaune thought to himself, rubbing his hands together. '_Even if I don't believe it, I can at least try.' _He sighed, scratching his cheek as he looked up at the girl.

"Pyrrha..." He said softly, taking a different approach. He knew yelling wouldn't get them anywhere, and if he just left, it would just make matters worse. The blond saw Pyrrha shift in her seat- if anything, he took it as a sign that he was on the right track. Jaune tried to swallow, but his mouth was just _so _dry. He studied Pyrrha in the dim light. She still wore her black dress, and her crimson hair danced in the light breeze rolling over the pond. His eyes moved back down to his hands, and he pondered his next moves carefully. Jaune replayed the night's events, trying to think of anything that might help him do something to cheer Pyrrha up. His eyes flashed as an idea popped in to his head, and he glanced over at the girl. He gritted his teeth; the idea was absolutely, positively crazy- but perhaps it was just crazy enough to work. He took a deep breath and forced his legs to move, marching over to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha's peripheral vision noticed Jaune's movements, and she casually tracked him as he moved directly in front of her. She stared at him angrily, but his eyes were downcast and away from her. Expecting him to simply apologize and leave, she was taken aback when Jaune forced his eyes to lock with hers. The blond then knelt down in front of her submissively, maintaining eye contact.

The red-haired fighter was not expecting this in the least. She was actually kind of impressed by the fact that he was even still here. Pyrrha crossed her arms and tilted her head away, still sporting an angry pout and doing her best to seem uninterested in whatever it was Jaune was attempting to do.

"Hey." Jaune was met with silence as Pyrrha refused to meet his gaze. Jaune raised a hand and hesitantly placed it on top of one of her knees. Her skin was soft and smooth, an utterly stark contrast to her rough and tough personality. She jumped slightly at his touch, and jerked her head towards him; her eyes still held anger within them.

"What are you doing?" Pyrrha asked, her voice sending a shiver down Jaune's spine. He stared into her vivid emerald eyes, knowing it'd be the only way to do this.

"I'm sorry, and I-I know you, um, kinda hate me right now, but, um, I was just wondering… wondering if, well, if your offer to go out tonight is still… available." Jaune's voice was soft, but sincere. His hand was hot on her skin; she could tell the boy was incredibly nervous. Her anger dissipated as she looked into his deep sapphire eyes, and she even began to feel bad for him. None of this was actually his fault, really.

'_No!'_ she yelled internally, '_you're mad at him! Don't give in!'_ Pyrrha let out a "hmph" and looked away, closing her eyes and shutting Jaune out.

"You won't talk to me, huh? Well then, I guess I'll…" Jaune looked around for a moment, then turned around and scanned the glassy surface of the pond, "just have to talk to the pond." Jaune let a soft smile crack on his face. He got up from his knee and made for the bench, sitting next to the red haired girl. Pyrrha tilted her head and pursed her lips in thought before looking out over the water.

"Hey, pond," Jaune started, "how's your night goin'."

"_Hey, Jaune. I'm doing alright. Yourself?"_ Pyrrha looked over to see Jaune tilting his head back and forth as he made his voice very low to narrate the pond. She suppressed giggles and looked away, trying to remain unimpressed by the boy's antics.

"Oh, I'm doing… kinda shitty."

"_Shitty? Why's that, buddy? Did you piss off that girl next to you?"_

"You bet I did, and I pissed her off good. Her name's Pyrrha Nikos. Do you know her?" A small smile formed on Pyrrha's lips, but she made sure to keep her head turned away so he couldn't see it.

"_No, I can't say that I do."_

"Oh, pond, my friend! You're missing out. She's amazing."

"_Damn. How are you gonna make things better?"_

"Well, I just asked her on a date. I'm waiting for a response." The word 'date' sent chills down Pyrrha's back. She took a quick look at the boy next to her, trying to figure out where this charm facade came from. His voice, and even the general vibe coming from him, was different somehow, as though he were determined.

"_Why would she want to go on a date with a doofus like you?_" Jaune snapped in the pond's fake deep voice, "_you pissed her off royally. Besides, I thought you had a hot date with that other girl._"

"Well, I did," Jaune looked down, "but Pyrrha is much, much cooler than that other girl."

"What else is she?" Jaune's eyes widened in surprise, and he turned around to face Pyrrha. She shielded a soft grin by remaining turned away as she mimicked the deep voice he had given to the pond. He smiled wide and sat back on the bench, tilting his head back and gazing up at the stars.

"Well… she's probably the nicest person I've ever met," Jaune let out a whistle, "and my god she's gorgeous. Her eyes are flawless emeralds, and her hair is a wave of crimson satin. Don't even get me started on her crazy fighter-body. She's kind and caring… kinda scary, and tough as nails. I swear, she could probably fight Rambo, Rocky and Chuck Norris all at once and still win handily."

"Don't talk about me like that." Pyrrha chuckled, still trying to sound angry as her grin widened. She turned over to Jaune, revealing to him that his methods had been successful. She found it harder and harder to remember why on earth she was so upset in the first place. Her face became a faint shade of pink, and she looked up to see Jaune's face was the same. He smiled at her, flashing his radiant white teeth.

"She also has a beautiful singing voice." Pyrrha's face flushed a deep crimson, and Jaune chuckled as she tried to hide it.

"N-No, she doesn't!"

"Yes, she does. I hope she'll sing for me some day."

"Never."

"Well, regardless, you're really good."

"T-Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." Pyrrha brought a lock of hair in front of her and played around with it. She gave Jaune a sly smirk.

"Anyway, that girl sounds pretty awesome. Sucks that you pissed her off by ditching her."

"I didn't know she'd get upset." Pyrrha rolled her eyes and sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"She didn't either."

"Huh. Funny how that works." The two now sat calmly on the bench in silence, and Jaune sighed in relief as he felt the tension melt away. He still wanted to know what caused all of this, but he felt guilty about causing his friend so much grief. Rather than press the matter, he decided it would be best to simply apologize.

"Listen, I'm sorry for-"

"No, it's not your fault," Pyrrha interrupted, placing her hands on her lap, "I was stupid." Jaune smiled, glad that Pyrrha had forgiven him.

"Seems like you were kinda jealous, too."

"Maybe I was." Jaune turned his head towards Pyrrha. Her face flushed again, and she immediately looked away.

"Were you really?" Pyrrha tilted her head back and let loose a defeated groan.

"Yeah, I guess I was."

"Huh. Well…" Jaune stood up and held his hand out to Pyrrha, "I'm here now. How about we go on that date? You still haven't given me my answer." Pyrrha looked up at the gentle grin Jaune wore, the light from the surrounding lampposts allowing her to see that he too was still blushing. She looked into his palm, placing her soft hand into it and allowing Jaune to delicately pull her to her feet.

"So where are you taking me?" She asked, reverting back to her playful ways and giving Jaune's chest a smack.

"Ow."

"Don't complain." Jaune's hand cupped his chin as he thought about what the two could do in the middle of the night. Pyrrha's blithe expression told Jaune anything would be fine, but after all the trouble he caused he wanted to do something fun. An idea snapped into his mind, and his face brightened up.

"Wanna go swimming?" Pyrrha looked at the pond with a raised eyebrow, then gave Jaune a cute scowl.

"The pond is disgusting. Plus, we don't even have bathing suits!"

"I wasn't talking about the pond."

"Then what?"

"The pool. Let's sneak in." Pyrrha blinked a few times, surprised that she didn't think of that.

"What if we get caught? And, as I just _said_, we don't have bathing suits!"

"What, you don't trust me? Or are you scared?"

"No, I-"

"You're _scaaaaared_. Tough girl Pyrrha is scared of swimming." Pyrrha stared Jaune down as he held his Cheshire cat grin. She bit her tongue softly, measuring out the odds of them actually getting caught. They seemed low, but there was no way they would even get into the building. Everything was locked at this point in the night, so she figured Jaune would realize it was impossible once they got there they'd go and do something else. After she laughed at him, of course. Confident Jaune wouldn't be able to pull it off, Pyrrha returned his smile.

"Sure, Jaune. Let's go swimming."

"Yes!" Jaune punched the air eagerly as he took Pyrrha's hand. He began to run in the direction of the recreation center, and his heart skipped a few beats when he heard the adorable giggles coming from the girl running behind him.

'_She's much too tough to be so damn cute.'_

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><p>Pyrrha blankly stood at the edge of the pool, staring into the clear water. The scent of chlorine permeated the humid air inside the room, and it tickled her nose a bit as she breathed. She bit her lip and furrowed her brow, bewildered that Jaune's dumb plan to swim worked. Actually, it still hadn't- given they still didn't have proper bathing attire, and there was no way she'd get in the water with her dress. Normally she didn't care about clothing, but this dress was expensive as all hell, and she only wore it for the most special of occasions. She began to wonder why she wasted wearing it for Jaune.<p>

"I can't believe we got in."

"I can't believe they forgot to close all the windows." Jaune smiled wide and gave Pyrrha a nudge. "Last one in is a beowolve's butt." Pyrrha rolled her eyes and looked at Jaune, who was just staring into the deep water.

"We. Don't. Have. Suits. How many times-" She was interrupted by Jaune, who took a step away from her before quickly unbuttoning his shirt. He threw it to the side before unlatching his belt and dropping his pants, leaving him in nothing but his boxers. Pyrrha's eyes went wide and her face red as she steered her vision away. "You're kidding me."

Jaune kicked off his shoes, pulled off his socks, then very ungracefully fell into the pool. He surfaced in the middle, looking up at the red haired woman.

"Nope. Water feels nice." He began to backstroke away as he spoke, "Well? You gonna come in? I stripped, but you can just hop in." He smiled when he saw Pyrrha cross her arms and glare at him. Jaune furrowed his brow as she motioned at her dress, then realized why she wasn't readily jumping in.

"Oh... its that dress. Shit."

"Yeah, idiot." Pyrrha threw her arms in the air.

"W-Well, uh, just… take the… um, dress off?" Jaune was now in the shallow end, so he stood, turned and covered his eyes. "I won't look."

"That's re-assuring."

"Come on, Pyr- I'm sure whatever you got on isn't much different from a Mistralian bikini." Jaune wasn't wrong- Mistralian swimsuits left little to the imagination. Pyrrha even owned a couple. She tilted her head in amusement.

"How do you know?"

"Pyrrha… I'm a guy."

"Ah." Pyrrha stood still for a moment, studying the back of Jaune's head. She rubbed her left arm gently, then reached for a strap on her dress.

"Hey, if you don't want to, I'll get out and we can do something els-!" A splash from behind him cut Jaune short. He let his arms slowly fall to his sides, unsure if he should turn around or not. Before he knew it a set of hands covered his eyes from behind him, and the firm material of Pyrrha's bra scratched his back.

"Guess who."

"Weiss."

"That's kinda insulting. Nice try, but sadly, you lose." Pyrrha let go of Jaune's face and swam away, playfully sticking her tongue out at him as he turned around. Her eyes pointed downward toward her chest then back up to Jaune, who went wide eyed and coughed.

"Sorry."

"It's okay." Pyrrha continued her backstroke, eyeing Jaune down. His wet hair caked the top of his head, making him resemble a wet dog. Pyrrha smiled and giggled, causing Jaune to look up.

"What is it?"

"Nothin'." Jaune scrunched his nose, then shook his head wildly. A spray of water erupted from his hair, and once he finished his hair stood straight up in a spike. "That's a better look, keep that."

"Humph." The blond dove forward toward the deep end, following Pyrrha as she made laps around the pool. They swam in silence for a while, the faint hum of the pool's filtration system reverberating gently through the room. Neither spoke a word, but the atmosphere wasn't awkward because of it; rather, it was peaceful. Timid at first, Pyrrha had now calmed herself and become much more comfortable. She let the water soothe and ease her tense muscles and tendons as she glided from one end of the pool to the other. She smirked, then looked behind her, catching Jaune's eyes analyzing her.

Jaune quickly looked away from Pyrrha- even through the dim moonlight being refracted through the water, her body was the definition of beauty. From her curves to her flowing red hair, Jaune sincerely believed he was in paradise. He reached the shallow end after a couple more laps, standing and running his fingers through his hair. Pyrrha watched as left the water and made his way to his khakis. He bent over and reached into one of the pockets, retrieving his ePhone.

"You like 'A Day To Remember,' yeah?"

"Yeah, they're alright." Jaune flicked through his assortment of music before at a song that utterly killed the mood. It was fast and a bit too much screaming going on- while Pyrrha enjoyed the band on a normal day, tonight was a bit different. She wasn't in the mood for chaotic sounding music, so she turned around in the water and made for the ladder in the shallow end.

Jaune cannonballed back into the water, going deep beneath. He shut his eyes tight as he sank to the bottom of the pool. The water was much warmer than the air above, and he reveled in its soothing embrace. He kicked off the bottom and surfaced, shaking the water from his hair and rubbing his eyes. He looked around, and saw Pyrrha leaving the pool.

Jaune froze, his mouth agape as his eyes were locked onto Pyrrha. A sliver of moonlight shone through the window and reflected off Pyrrha's body, accentuating her tone body and shapely butt. Never in his wildest dreams did Jaune ever believe he'd ever actually see Pyrrha wearing the exact same underwear he'd flung at her only a month ago.

"Jaune."

"I-I'M NOT LOOKING!" Jaune snapped out of his trance and swiftly spun around, proceeding to slowly descend into the water to prove his point. Pyrrha rolled her eyes and smiled- while being in nothing but her revealing underwear embarrassed her, she didn't mind if Jaune saw.

"I don't care if you look."

"It'd be rude to." Pyrrha slowly stopped walking, eying Jaune. There she stood, half naked and swimming alone with the only guy to ever make her feel strongly enough to get her to be there half naked with him. Pyrrha decided she was so emotionally invested at this point, there was no other choice but to take a leap of faith.

"Maybe I _want_ you to look." She heard a gasp of air mixed with the gurgling of water come from Jaune as he treaded towards the edge of the pool opposite of her.

"Uh, excuse me? Who are you, and what did you do with Pyrrha?"

"It's kind of like a compliment." Pyrrha answered, continuing over to Jaune's phone, drying her hand off on his pant leg before picking it up and changing the song to something less frantic. She grinned wide and decided on '_If It Means A lot To You.'_

"A compliment? How? It's… perverted." Jaune was still facing the wall opposite of her, studying the white tiles. He was going to change the subject and talk about how clean the pool was, or something less awkward like how he saw a cute squirrel that day, but the sound of another body slipping back into the water and coming towards him ceased the thoughts.

"It's a compliment, because it's you. You're a gentleman, Jaune. And it also means I'm doing something right." Pyrrha was now right next to him. Jaune glanced over, his cheeks pink.

"Squats look really good on you." Pyrrha let out a cute giggle and then swam away towards the shallow end. Jaune finally realized that she had changed the song, and had began to murmur the words. He looked over to Pyrrha, who was now standing in the shallow end of the pool with a wide grin.

"What's so funny?" Jaune asked, making his way towards her.

"All of this is just so… crazy," she said shaking her head, her hair swaying heavily as she did so, "We snuck in here, we're both in our underwear… When did I agree to this!?" She sighed, her smile never leaving her face.

"About fifteen minutes ago."

"Not literally, bud." Jaune laughed as he stood up, letting the cold air hit his body. There was something about the night, maybe it was the water, or how secluded he felt with this girl, but something just felt so _right._

"This is nice though, right?" he asked, tapping the surface of the water with his palm, "you get to see me shirtless…"

"You get to see _me _shirtless…"

"That was my next line." Jaune was pushed by sturdy palms and he laughed, pulling the emerald eyed girl with him. He pulled her close, his hands wrapped around her wrists. He looked into her eyes, studying her body language. She wasn't frightened, she wasn't anxious. No, he knew she was just as comfortable as he was.

Chills went down his back; the moment, the song, the girl- they were all perfect. He began to mutter the song once again, only to realize Pyrrha doing the same. He moved his hands upward, towards her hands. He was surprised when she laced her fingers with his, pulling them closer together.

Pyrrha watched Jaune's lips curl into a grin. He released one of her hands to move a lock of hair from her face and cupped her cheek; he could feel the heat radiating from her blushing face. His hand slid down her form to her hips, and Pyrrha reacted to the tickles by shifting and giggling. Jaune brought his other hand to her hips, and quietly stared at Pyrrha as the last bit of the song came up.

"_I swear I'll never be happy again, and don't you dare say we can just be friends. I'm not some boy that you can sway, we knew it'd happen eventually." _

At that moment, Jaune made a decision to push away every insecurity he'd ever felt. He wrapped his arms around Pyrrha's waist and pulled her in close, and she let out a cute "woo!" as he did so. Her eyes widened as Jaune suddenly leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, returning his kiss pulled away and smiled at each other. Pyrrha grinned, tilting her head at Jaune.

"That was horrible you know," she teased, "your lips are all chapped and rough." Jaune blushed slightly, looking away and frowning.

"C'mon, cut me some slack would ya?" Pyrrha giggled, then moved in and kissed him again. She couldn't believe how warm his lips were, or how happy it made her to be kissing them. Their lips stayed locked for what seemed like an eternity- however, the blissful thirty second reality was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash to their right.

A crowd of bodies crashed through the metal double doors leading to the pool area, falling into a crumpled heap on the floor.

"You dolt!" a female's voice yelled, "Yang, why did you push?!"

"Not my fault Ren's chicken legs gave out!"

"You're heavy."

"I'M WHAT!?" Silence fell over the group as the stopped and looked over at the two in the pool; Jaune and Pyrrha stared back in confusion, still hugging each other.

"The fuck you looking at? Go on!" Jaune recognized Sun's voice and smirked, shaking his head.

"How did you-" Jaune tried to ask before the six in the doorway shut him up with a "UHP!" in unison.

"Kiss her again, idiot!" Nora yelled, pointing towards Pyrrha. Jaune looked at the red haired beauty, who simply returned his look with a playful shrug. Jaune smirked at her and went in for another kiss, this time being cheered on by his friends from the sidelines.

* * *

><p>Everyone who had come late had actually brought swimsuits and towels. While Jaune was still out of luck, Pyrrha was fortunate enough to borrow one of Yang's extra swimsuits. Now clad in a regular bikini, Pyrrha lounged on a bench by the pool wrapped in a towel she had also borrowed from Yang. She clutched the towel around her tightly, still slightly embarrassed. When she left the pool to greet her friends with Jaune, she had forgotten she was in nothing but her lingerie; she only noticed once it was too late. Nora covered Ren's eyes and Blake Adam's, while Sun let out a long whistle and planted a wet slap on Jaune's back.<p>

"Way to go with the Nikos booty!" Sun complimented with a wink, curling over suddenly as Yang drove her fist into his midsection while Weiss scolded him.

"That's not something you say out loud, you brute!" He hunched over to try and recover from what felt like getting hit by a truck.

"Ow." He looked up the Yang, who leaned down and smiled devilishly.

"You can only look and whistle at _me _like that." Her voice held some sarcasm as she helped him up and brought him to one of the benches beside the pool. Beside him were Adam and Blake, and Yang eagerly sat on his lap.

"So how'd you know we were here?" Pyrrha asked, watching as Jaune and Nora teamed up on Ren to throw him into the pool.

"Jaune was taking forever to get back to us," Blake responded, "so Adam, Weiss and I went the same way he did to make a full sweep. Sure enough, we saw you two running here. Instead of ruining whatever you two had planned, we went back to Yang and everyone."

"_Then _we decided to ruin your plans!" Yang exclaimed. Jaune jogged over to Pyrrha, wrapping his arms around her from behind as he kissed the top of her head.

"Hey." He said into her hair.

"Hi."

"What're you guys talking about?" Jaune asked, standing straight and smiling.

"How dumb you are." Adam said, leaning back as Blake ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm not dumb."

"Bitch," Yang began, "I TOLD you how Pyrrha-" Her eyes went wide and head swung to the girl in question, her face about to explode.

"You… what?"

"She didn't _tell _me," Jaune began, putting his hands on Pyrrha's shoulders, "she just _hinted _towards you, uh, liking me."

"No, I told you."

"Shut up." Jaune shook his head. Pyrrha looked up at Jaune, who held a smile for her.

"Why didn't you act sooner?" She asked, furrowing her brow. "Why did you act so oblivious!"

"I didn't believe her," Jaune shrugged and began to explain, "and besides, I'm always oblivious when it comes to girls. I never really learned how to read them, I guess… I need a girl to tell me what's going on, kinda like Weiss did." Jaune pointed towards the white-haired girl, who gave him a roll of her eyes. "Sorry."

Weiss sighed and grinned softly. "It's alright. Turns out you aren't my type anyway." Jaune gave Weiss a thumbs up before returning his attention to Pyrrha.

"And the idea of her and I seemed too good. My head had told me that she was trying to set me up for a joke, because… Yang is Yang." Jaune looked over to the blonde, who held up her fist proudly. He then turned back to Pyrrha, who still looked confused.

"Why didn't you believe her?" Jaune's face flushed as he looked around at all of his friends craving an answer. He swallowed his pride and ran his fingers through Pyrrha's long hair nervously.

"Because I wanted you to tell me. I wouldn't believe anyone else." The room went silent and Jaune could feel the heat coming from Pyrrha's face.

"HA! Gaaayyyyyy!" Yang shouted, cupping her hands to her mouth as she did. Everyone laughed, and a large splash from the pool grabbed their attention. They all turned to see Nora on top of Ren's shoulders holding up her hands as if they were claws. The two were laughing, egging everyone on to get into the water.

"CHICKEN FIGHT!" Nora bellowed, wobbling a bit as Ren tried to balance himself. Yang and Sun jumped at the opportunity and threw each other into the pool, challenging Nora and Ren as Adam, Weiss and Blake watched comfortably from the sidelines. Jaune kissed the top of Pyrrha's head once again, the smell of chlorine mixed with the fruity fragrance of her shampoo making him grin.

"Wanna be my partner?" He asked, helping her to her feet.

"Only if I get to be on top." Jaune looked away and scratched his head, flirting not being his best attribute. Pyrrha laughed and kissed his cheek, leading him to the pool. She stopped for a moment, grabbing both of Jaunes arms.

"I like you." Her voice was serious, and her eyes unblinking.

"I know." Jaune leaned in and gave her a quick peck, "I like you too." Pyrrha smiled, then threw Jaune into the pool.

"That's for being stupid."

* * *

><p><em><strong>"The book of love is long and boring,<br>And written very long ago.  
>It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes,<br>And things we're all too young to know."**_

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><p><strong>Hurray! <strong>This chapter could have went two ways, and I believe we took the right route. Making Jaune even more stupid... nah.<strong>**

**This is NOT the end of this story. I AM going to take a break- I have final exams, so I'm going to work on rough drafts for new chapters, but odds of me posting until after May 8th are slim.**

**So, to kinda... tease you... here's a snippet of next chapter:**

* * *

><p>Yang strutted out of her room and into the common room, swiping at her ePhone to change the song. Once something she liked came on, she nodded her head and skipped over to Weiss and Blake's room, rattling her knuckles loudly on the ivory wood.<p>

"Blaaaaake, did you put on the costume I got you!?" Yang put her ear to the door, and she could hear the rustles of the two girls inside.

"This is humiliating." Blake spoke through the wood.

"Aw, come on!" Yang begged, "if it's THAT embarrassing for you, you can take it off after I take a few pictures!"

"I'd rather not have any evidence of this."

"Am I gonna have to come in there?" Yang reached for the golden doorknob but was too late for the door swung open, a blast of air sending Yang's hair sailing back. Her lavender eyes glowed bright when she saw Blake in the costume she picked out.

"Okay, you saw it. Can I change now?" Blake received her answer when Yang grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the common room.

"PYRRHA!" Yang yelled, "TAKE OUR PICTURE!" Pyrrha walked into the common room in her cop costume. She got her phone ready, and pointed it towards the two girls.

"Say… honey?" Pyrrha exclaimed unenthusiastically as she took the photo. She showed the picture to the two; both black and yellow striped corsets and black mini-skirts, Yang held the brightest of smiles where Blake could only muster an embarrassed smirk complimented by her red face.

"Blake, we look so cute! Oh, we should make a team name like the Achieve Men… Team Bumblebee!" Yang exclaimed, giving Blake a hug, "are you sure you're gonna change?"

"Yes."

"So you don't wanna be a part of team bumblebee?" Yang pouted, taking a quick second to adjust her skirt.

"No."

"Aw." Yang watched Blake walk back into her room, furrowed her brow for a second, then turned her attention to Cop-Pyrrha.

"Has Jaune been a bad, bad boy?"

* * *

><p><strong>I'm so sorry, Bumblebee shippers, I just love to tease you. Maybe I'll tease you White Rose shippers next.<strong>

**So, yeah. Next chapter is HALLOWEEN! The structure of this story is changing, and will be more like "episodes." I want them to be flavorful and each chapter unique, not a dragged on string of words you need to bear through.**

**Review, follow, fav, follow on tumblr (reasonablename) and we'll see you all soon!**


	13. Halloween

**Oh look, an update!**

**Long chapter. It's been a while so I'd probably read the end of last chapter (or all of it idk) to refresh what's going down... Even though this chapter is a bit more independent. Hope y'all like it, and we encourage you to review!**

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><p><em><strong>'Cause you are the piece of me I wish I didn't need<strong>_  
><em><strong>Chasing relentlessly, still fight and I don't know why.<strong>_

* * *

><p>The bark gently scratched the back of Blake's head as she sat resting against the trunk of a large oak tree. The cool breeze rustled through the leaves above her, knocking some loose and sending them fluttering down around her. She protectively held the pages of her book down with her thumb, making sure not to lose her place. Occasionally she would look up and gaze beyond the top of her book to take in the beautiful scenery and architecture of Beacon University from atop the hill she sat upon. While the view was magnificent, Blake was actually on the lookout for Adam, who was supposed to meet her for a picnic lunch. The spot was recommended by Jaune, who brought Pyrrha to the same spot a few days before.<p>

"Tsk." Blake sucked at her teeth in slight annoyance as she continued reading. Ever since Jaune and Pyrrha had become official, the blond had really gone out of his way to pamper the red-headed fighter every chance he got. Despite herself, Blake couldn't help but feel a sharp twinge of jealousy whenever she caught them doing something "cutesy." The day before, Jaune had a dozen roses for Pyrrha delivered to the quad. Blake had known Jaune for over a decade now, and had never seen this side of him. She knew he was kind and caring, but had no idea he was capable of being so tender and considerate in a romantic setting, and the fact that she was only seeing it now that he was with Pyrrha filled her chest with more than just a bit of jealous resentment. It hurt to realize that the special place she thought she held in his heart for all these years was actually being reserved for the girl he met not too long ago. Blake let out another frustrated huff as she flipped the page and faced another wall of text.

'_Adam never does that type of stuff with me…. and neither did he.' _Her thoughts were cut off by the faint crunching of grass as footsteps approached her.

"Hey."Blake's amber eyes looked up from her book and at her boyfriend, who smiled down at her, one hand holding plastic bags while the other clutched a red blanket. He carefully placed the bags down before flapping the blanket open and placing it on the ground for the two to sit on. Blake marked her spot before closing her book and sliding over to take a seat on the blanket as Adam laid out containers of their favorite foods.

"You alright?" Adam asked as he finished placing their lunch evenly around the blanket.

"Yeah." Blake smiled gently and leaned forward, giving Adam a peck on his lips to reassure him. He returned her smile and cracked open the lid to his meal. They ate in silence, a practice that was perfectly normal for the two. Unfortunately, the silence today only made it more difficult for Blake to think of anything but the conversations she and Jaune used to have.

"Is it good?" Adam's voice broke Blake's concentration, and she nodded with a smile.

"Perfect." She returned to her food, before hesitating and placing her bowl and fork down. "I think I'm going to tell everyone."

"Tell everyone what?" Adam responded, slurping up some stray noodles that hung from his lips.

"That… Well, that I'm not _completely _human." Blake pointed up and motioning towards her bow, which twitched a few times to show her point.

"Oh. I agree."

"You do?" Blake asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Yeah," Adam replied, "They're good people. They'll be fine with it, and I'm sure they'll get over the whole lying aspect of it all."

"When they asked how I'm able to move so easily through the dark, I told them I have enhanced hearing and vision because I took a special multi-vitamin."

"I'm sure they're-"

"Yang bought the vitamin." Blake said with a deadpan expression, to which Adam could only furrow his brow and cross his arms.

"Huh. Well good luck." Blake smiled and chuckled as Adam who slumped his shoulders and shook his head. "Why didn't you make up a fake brand?"

"I did. Yang found it on the internet."

"... Don't tell me-"

"Nora too."

"Shit. Of course she did."

"Yeeeeah." Blake rubbed her chin a bit, staring down into her bowl. "Both you and Jaune think it's a good idea, so i think I'll be fine."

"What'd he say?" Adam asked, taking another loud slurp of his noodles.

"While I'm not exactly comfortable without my bow… he assured me it'd be fine because of how you and Sun are widely accepted. I don't know... it's gonna be tough for me."

"He's right, you really shouldn't fret. So when do you plan on doing it?"

"After the Halloween dance. I plan on being a rendition of Catwoman with very realistic ears. Hopefully I can find a good time to announce it." Adam snickered and took a sip from his bottle of soda, looking up and smiling at his girlfriend.

"Good." Adam took a swig of his soda, before capping it and smiling. "By the way, wanna go to the dance with me?"

"Sure." Blake rolled her eyes and leaned forward, meeting Adam halfway. The rest of the lunch went by in relative silence and ended with the two napping underneath the tree, Blake snuggled into Adam's chest.

* * *

><p>"Come on, you hit like a little girl!"<p>

"Yang, I- Ow!- I told you I don't wanna do thi-!" Sun was cut short when Yang's yellow boxing glove slammed into his right ribs. He gasped for air, hanging onto the boxing ring ropes to stabilize himself.

"What? I didn't quite catch that." Yang mocked, bouncing around the white mat. A small crowd began to swarm the ring, most of which pointed and laughed at the emasculated Sun.

"Date a boxer, they said," Sun mumbled, rubbing his shoulder as he stood up and faced Yang, "it'll be fun, they said." The monkey faunus clapped his gloves together and rotated his head, hearing faint pops and cracks.

"Want some more?" Yang teased, smiling and lowering her guard.

"Hmph." Sun's gaze shot daggers at Yang, who only stretched her smile wider in amusement.

"Oh, I'm so scare-!" Yang cut her taunt short, lowering her stance and tensing her body as Sun suddenly launched forwards towards her, his right glove cocked back for a punch as his left guarded his face. Sun, surprised by his sudden rush, shut his eyes tight and let his instincts guide him as he swung his fist wildly. He felt his glove connect with what he thought was her side, but realized he was sorely mistaken as he opened his eyes again. Yang sat on the ground in front of him, gingerly caressing her chin with her right glove.

"You dick!" she exclaimed, tears forming in her lilac eyes, "why would you hit a girl?!" Sun's eyes widened and jaw dropped.

"YOU SAID I COULD!" He yelled, rushing over and kneeling beside her, "Yang, I'm so sorry!" Yang sniffed a couple of times, letting the act go on for a few more seconds before letting a sly grin spread across her face. Sun suddenly felt shivers down his back.

"Crap." Sun muttered as Yang's left glove flashed forward from behind her, connecting solidly into Sun's chest and sending him flying backwards. The force knocked all the air from Sun's lungs, and he lay on the mat unable to do anything but choke and gasp for air. He swore there were colorful cartoon birds flitting around in circles above his head.

From the corner of his eye he could see Yang towering above him, her arms crossed as she shot him a smug grin. She held the pose until she was satisfied, then knelt down and grabbed the front of Sun's shirt.

"You're such a good sport." The blonde cooed as she pulled him up by his shirt and kissed him, ignoring the whistles and annoyed groans sounding from the crowd around the ring. "I'll make this up to you later." Yang winked and dropped Sun back down roughly, his head banging on the mat. He was able to sit up and catch a glimpse of Yang sauntering off, being sure to sway her hips as much as possible.

"It'll be fun, they said."

* * *

><p>With the sun shining and the subtle breeze cooling their skin, it was a perfect day for Nora to take up Ren's offer to get ice cream. She loved to mess with Ren and purposely waited until he was studying to ask him. Nora knew he'd keep his promise to her, albeit rather begrudgingly. The two sat on a wooden picnic table in front of the ice cream parlor, enjoying their selections. Ren decided on a simple strawberry cone, whereas Nora took a more extreme approach and ordered the triple fudge brownie supreme.<p>

"So, I know we're matching our costumes with Velvet, but… who's your date for the halloween dance?" Nora asked timidly. Ren stopped mid lick of his ice cream, furrowing his brow and meeting the curious light blue eyes of Nora. He wiped his mouth clean with his free hand, and let his arms rest on the table.

"Excuse me?"

"Your date. Did you find one?" Ren smiled and narrowed his eyes for a split second before bringing his ice cream back to his mouth and giving it a few licks. The air was silent between the two, as Nora's eyes shot back and forth between Ren and her bowl of dessert. Ren allowed the question to float in the air between them for a few more seconds, then handed Nora a napkin to wipe the chocolate off of her face.

"Yup, I did."

"Oh. Well, hopefully she's nice."

"She is." Nora frowned a bit at his comment, jealousy swirling in her stomach.

"Is she pretty?"

"Yes, she's beautiful."

"Is she funny?"

"Hilarious."

"Okay, I'll be the judge of this! Who the fuck is she!" Nora stood up suddenly and slammed her fists down onto the wood, a few of the planks cracking in the process. "Is it Weiss?! I'll kill her when I find her!" Ren only smirked before he met Nora's determined eyes.

"No. It's you."

* * *

><p>Jaune placed his fork down onto the ceramic plate in front of him, reclining in his chair shortly after. The plate in between he and Pyrrha had, up until very recently, held a slice of raspberry cheesecake; Pyrrha's favorite dessert.<p>

"I never eat stuff like that," Pyrrha remarked, "you're a bad influence on me."

"Blah blah blah." Jaune mocked his girlfriend by using his hand as a mouth. "It's good for you."

"Oh, right, and the sky isn't blue." Jaune smiled and laced his fingers behind his head, smirking devilishly.

"Well, when the sun rises and sets its more of a orangey-red." He teased. "And at night, Pyrrha, did you know that at night-!" He stopped and put up his hands in defense as Pyrrha tilted her head and glared at him. He smiled, lowering his hands before continuing.

"Besides, you've been doing a lot of heavy weight training, as well as a lot of training my sorry ass in MMA," Jaune stated, "you need the carbs."

"So you're telling me I should eat more cheesecake."

"That's _exactly _what I'm saying."

"You're crazy."

"Crazy for you."

"God you're lame." Pyrrha smiled and stretched her hand in front of her, which was met eagerly by Jaune as they laced their fingers together. "But cute."

"You're lame."

"Got meee! Ow, my feelings." Pyrrha exclaimed sarcastically as she cocked her head to the side and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Cute," Jaune commented, "so, any idea what you're gonna be for this Halloween Dance thing? I heard the best guy and girl costumes get 150 bucks."

"Yeah, I heard that too," Pyrrha replied, "but you tell me first. What do you plan on being?"

"It's a secret."

"Oh, come on," Pyrrha whined, letting her cheek rest on her free palm, "tell meeeeeee."

"Nah. It's totally rad though."

"Rad?"

"Yeah, you know, like-"

"I know what it means," Pyrrha snapped, "but fine, be that way." Pyrrha pulled her hand away from Jaune and gave him a playfully sly grin. As she did so, the waitress came to the table and placed the check in front of Jaune. Jaune sat up and looked at the piece of paper before sliding it over to Pyrrha.

"You're paying, right? I heard how badly you wanted to pay." Jaune felt Pyrrha's shoe connect with his shin, which brought water to his eyes. He slammed his head onto the table, making Pyrrha giggle.

"I guess I have to now."

Jaune groaned, unable to lift his head from the table. He then felt an extra set of fingers run through his hair and the soft lips of Pyrrha kiss the top of his head.

* * *

><p>Weiss and Ruby were lounging around in the girl's quad, conversing about their predictions for that night. Yang was able to get her an extra ticket for the dance, so Ruby packed up an overnight bag and drove down to Beacon University. At first she was excited; however, thanks to her sister she was now extremely nervous.<p>

"I don't want Yang to 'hook me up' with some random dude!" Ruby exclaimed, pacing back and forth as Weiss daintily sat on her bed. "I'm perfectly content with going by myself, but Yang is so adamant about getting a date for me. Why is she making such a big deal out of this!" Ruby collapsed onto the ground, hiding her face in her palms. While she understood that Yang was trying to be thoughtful by setting her up with a guy, Ruby wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of attending an event with a complete stranger. If it was someone like Jaune or Ren, she would absolutely take the offer; however, to Ruby's dismay, Pyrrha already laid claim to Jaune since the last time she was there, and she knew Ren would take Nora before anyone else on the planet.

Ruby sighed heavily into her hands, remembering what Yang had told her the night before; some girl tried to ask Jaune to the dance while he was eating lunch, only to be interrupted mid-sentence by Pyrrha running up and sitting on Jaune's lap. The last thing Ruby wanted to do was get on Pyrrha's shit-list, even if she was just going to the dance with Jaune as pals.

"I'm sure Yang won't force it upon you," Weiss replied, furrowing her brow and bringing her fingers to her chin, "however… she does tend to use force with everything she does..."

"You're finally catching on." Ruby commented, lifting her head and grinning at Weiss. The white haired girl shrugged, then jumped down from her bed to console her friend. With her hand on Ruby's shoulder, she grinned and turned her head to the side a bit.

"If she says she found you a date, just say you already have someone. It's simple." Weiss let her hand slide off of the Ruby's shoulder and brought it back and onto her hip.

"Then she'll ask for his name, area code, phone number, state address, work phone, social security number, driver's licence, the year he began to walk-"

"Okay, I get it." Weiss snapped, narrowing her eyes. "Your sister's crazy over-protective."

"Crazy doesn't even cut it…" Ruby replied in a murmur. She watched as Weiss tried to conjure up a new plan; the sky-blue eyed girl scratched her head and walked around the room, eventually wandering out into the common room. After a few seconds Ruby actively followed, peering around the door frame of Weiss' room to see Weiss snap her fingers and quickly turn to face Ruby.

"Tell her you're going with me!"

"What?" Ruby asked, furrowing her brow as confusion planted itself into her brain. "I mean, Weiss, you're cute and all, but-"

"No, idiot!" Weiss yelped, throwing her fists at her sides, "It's not like _that!_ Tell her we're going to go together as wingmen. That way, you'll have your independence, and successfully throw Yang off the search for some dolt you'd have to awkwardly talk to." Ruby bit her lip and turned her gaze to the ceiling in thought. While it was a bit odd, it had a high chance of working since Yang was always one to take the easy way out of doing extra work.

"That… that might actually work." Ruby nodded and smiled, before holding up a quizzical finger. "Wait, didn't you say you had a date?"

"I did," Weiss replied, smirking, "but Yang doesn't know that, and I'm meeting him _at _the dance." Ruby clapped her hands together, a smile painted on her face.

"This plan is fantastic!" Ruby exclaimed. "No random dude, and no dealing with the utter annoyance that is my sister! Weiss, this plan is so good it needs a name." Ruby ran to Weiss' room and grabbed a pen along with her pad of light-blue sticky notes. She returned back into the common room and plopped down onto a couch, with Weiss eagerly joining her.

After going through about fifteen sticky notes and a ton of nouns and adjectives, the two finally came up with a decent name for their little scheme.

_'Operation: White Rose.'_

* * *

><p>"You look so stupid."<p>

The sun had set and everyone had parted, going to their separate dorms in order to get ready for the dance. While they were already pretty keen on dressing up, the cash prize for the best costumes only inspired the group to go all out with their ideas. After weeks of preparation, the BU students were ready to show off their creations.

Sun stood in the middle of his room in his "Iron Man" costume, which was made from sharpie colored cardboard, packing tape, glow sticks and crafting felt. He couldn't be more proud of it, and Jaune couldn't stop laughing.

"Watch out, super villains! It's Captain Recycle!"

"For the last time, Jaune, I'm Iron Man!"

"You're not being serious, right?" Jaune questioned, wiping a tear from his eye. Sun's stern look said it all. The monkey-faunus looked down and check his costume out once more, his eyes gleaming as though it were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He then put his cardboard helmet back on and struck a heroic pose, showing off the glow stick "repulsers" taped to the palms of his hands.

"This costume is hella dope."

"I can't believe you're being serious right now."

"Shut up!" Sun yelled, angrily staring at Jaune. "What the hell are you, anyway!" Jaune straightened his posture and puffed out his chest to better show off his outfit. He was shirtless, and had a red cape wrapped around his neck which trailed across his shoulders and down to his ankles. He sported a brown, bronze and red leather kilt along with matching sandals and realistic looking bronze shin guards. Jaune's face was partially covered by the high quality "bronze" helmet, and he held a long plastic spear in one hand and a large bronze shield in the other.

"I'm a Mistralian Spartan, you dunce." Jaune spun around to give Sun the full view of his costume. "Read a book." Sun sucked his teeth and crossed his arms, looking away from Jaune jealously.

"You're gonna get disqualified anyway, you were supposed to _make _your own costume." Sun scoffed matter of factly. Jaune chuckled, and shook his head.

"No. They never said that." Before the faunus boy could shoot him a rebuttal, Jaune reached into his desk and pulled out a flyer for the dance. Sun lifted off his helmet and upon reading it, cursed and threw his arms in the air.

"Aw, man!" He shouted. "I thought we had to make it!" He looked down at his creation and pouted, before poking the middle park he colored in with a silver sharpie and blue glow sticks. "Crap."

Jaune pat his friend on the back and let loose a few giggles before walking over to the mirror. He looked at his messy blonde hair for a moment, then reached over and onto his desk for a can of hair-spray. He raised it to his head and began to spray; Sun watched as Jaune magically turned his hair from blonde to black.

"There we go." Jaune placed the can back on his desk before playing around with his hair, making sure the dye was nice and even.

"Dude, you look awesome." Sun commented, inspecting the costume. "Pyrrha's gonna go-"

"Nuts." Jaune smiled and shot a mischievous wink at at Sun's reflection in the mirror. "She told me that she loved that movie 301, with the last standing Spartans," he explained, "I'm not in it for the money, really. I just wanna see her freak." Sun came over and placed his hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"That's lame."

"I'm not wearing a cardboard man costume."

"You suck."

* * *

><p><em>*And in other news, White Fang protests took a violent turn today when six law enforcement agents were critically injured during a riot...*<em>

Yang strutted out of her room and into the common room, turning the TV off and swiping at her ePhone to put on some music. Once something she liked came on, she nodded her head and skipped over to Weiss and Blake's room, rattling her knuckles loudly on the ivory wood.

"Blaaaaake, did you put on the costume I got you!?" Yang put her ear to the door, and she could hear the rustles of the two girls inside.

"This is humiliating." Blake spoke through the wood.

"Aw, come on!" Yang begged, "if it's _THAT _embarrassing for you, you can take it off after I take a few pictures!"

"I'd rather not have any evidence of this."

"Am I gonna have to come in there?" Yang reached for the golden doorknob but was too late. The door swung open, a blast of air sending Yang's hair sailing back. Her lavender eyes glowed bright when she saw Blake in the costume she picked out.

"Okay, you saw it. Can I change now?" Blake received her answer when Yang grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the common room.

"PYRRHA!" Yang yelled, "TAKE OUR PICTURE!" Pyrrha walked into the common room and reached into her pocket. She got her phone ready, and pointed it towards the two girls.

"Say… honey?" Pyrrha exclaimed unenthusiastically as she took the photo. She showed the picture to the two; both black and yellow striped corsets and black mini-skirts, Yang held the brightest of smiles where Blake could only muster an embarrassed smirk complimented by her red face.

"Blake, we look so cute! Oh, we should make a team name like the Achieve Men… Team Bumblebee!" Yang exclaimed, giving Blake a hug, "are you sure you're gonna change?"

"Yes."

"So you don't wanna be a part of team bumblebee?" Yang pouted, taking a quick second to adjust her skirt.

"No. "

"Aw." Yang watched Blake walk back into her room with a sad pout, then turned to better inspect Pyrrha's costume before smirking.

"Has Jaune been a bad, bad boy?" Pyrrha's was dressed in a cop uniform, but it was far from abiding by any regulations and didn't exactly leave too much to the imagination. She wore high black stockings that stopped right before her short blue shorts, and a black tube top underneath the blue short sleeve jacket. To top it all off, a cop hat sat on top of her ponytail.

"Perhaps." Pyrrha winked at Yang, who gave her a quiet, "OoOoO." Pyrrha briskly walked back into her room, returning to her mirror to make sure everything was perfect. They continued to get ready until someone knocked at their door. Yang hopped over the couch to the door and peered through the peephole, flashing a great big smile before swinging the door wide open.

"Hey guys!" She exclaimed, holding the door open with her back to let her guests inside.

"Hi Yang!" Nora returned, hopping inside with Velvet in her arm. The two were dressed as PlayGuy bunnies; they wore black leotards with a fuzzy bunny tail on their butts. Velvet already had the ears down, but Nora compensated by wearing a fake pair of white and pink bunny ears.

"You two look so cute!" Ruby said, walking out of Weiss' room with Blake and Weiss trailing behind her.

"Thanks!" Velvet said, "It's an easy costume for me to pull off." She smiled and looked at Nora, who scrunched up her nose and giggled. Then the orange haired girl cleared her throat, and the two bunnies stood on either side of the door.

"Now, please say hello to Mr. Hefner!" Ren walked in wearing a red silk robe with a black collar. He wore no shirt underneath, and had loafers on his feet. The boy walked in and looked at his friends, who each expressed their amusement with applause and laughter. Ren smiled, then let loose a long, heated sigh.

"I can assure you, this was not my idea." He said, shaking his head.

"But it's a damn good one!" Yang yelled, wiping her eyes. She pointed towards Nora, "Your idea?"

Nora smiled, then slowly shook her head. Everyone in the room then furrowed their brows, and their eyes widened and looked towards Velvet.

"Velv!?" Pyrrha asked, a wide grin formed on her face. The bunny faunus shrugged, her face red as she looked away from everyone.

"I-I'm glad you all like it." She thanked slightly timidly.

"I love it," Blake commented, "you guys look awesome." The trio smiled and walked further into the room, letting the door close. The conversation soon turned to what everyone else wore; Nora drooled over Weiss' costume, which was Elsa from Frozen. Ruby went a more traditional route and wore a grim reaper mask and hood, and Blake was changed into her Catwoman costume. Ruby, Velvet and Nora were fascinated with her costume ears, which were incredibly realistic.

The next group to show up was Adam, Jaune and Sun. Yang told the three via text that they would have to give the girls plus Ren a fashion show if they wanted to get inside, to which they reluctantly agreed. The three now stood in line against the wall next to the quad's door, waiting for the okay to begin. The door suddenly opened and what seemed to be Ruby's hand gave them a thumbs up, making the three stand straight in anticipation. Sun was the first to walk in, and received a very warm welcome.

"Look, it's Captain Cardboard!" Weiss mocked, pointing and laughing at the boy.

"Put the bottles in the blue bins or be _eradicated_!" Ruby added in a robotic voice, giggling to herself. Much like Weiss, everyone else in the room broke into hysterics. Velvet had to brace herself on the windowsill, Ren had to lean against the wall, and Yang walked up to her boy and tried to keep a straight face.

"You, uh… you look great." She chuckled with a suppressed grin on her face.

"Y-You too." Sun embarrassedly said, taking all that was Yang in.

"And by great I mean hilarious."

"I figured." Yang kissed Sun's cheek and led him inside, letting him say hello to everyone else. The next one to walk in was Adam, who sported a traditional matador costume. He uncharacteristically strutted inside and twirled, stomping his feet together and throwing his hands and chin up before letting out a deep, bellowing, "Olay!"

The girls in the room went crazy. The room was filled with whistles, yells and hearty laughs as Adam performed his walk. Blake rushed up to him and gave him a hug, smiling wide as she did so.

"You look amazing!" She complimented, to which Adam chuckled.

"Thought I'd give having fun a try." He walked in and sat down, ready for whatever Jaune was going to do. Pyrrha smiled and looked towards the open door, eager to see what her boyfriend was wearing. When he did, her eyes widened as she froze in utter amazement.

Jaune walked into the room and struck a powerful pose, which was now completely silent.

"Who are you?" Nora asked, before getting nudged in the side by Ren. The room remained silent for a few seconds longer.

"Sploosh." Yang said, biting her lip.

"Double sploosh." Weiss muttered, immediately distracting herself by looking down into her phone and Blake's eyes widened and she caught a bit of drool in the corner of her mouth, going red and hoping Adam didn't see.

"That costume is insane." Ruby commented, blushing and looking away from Jaune's abs. Pyrrha stood motionless much like the other girls, before shaking her head and stepping forward.

"How do I look?" Jaune asked, spinning a full 360 degrees to give Pyrrha the full show, "do I pass as a Mistralian?" Pyrrha walked closer and could now smell Jaune's musty cologne, sending an excited shiver down her spine and making her wish everyone else wasn't in the room. She scanned him up and down, and from his toes to newly dyed hair he actually pulled off looking Mistralian perfectly. She reached up and moved a few locks of his hair around, which were soft and light. Her fingers then traced his form, his abs, then she locked her fingers into his.

"U-Uh, you, the, uh, yes."

"That's JAUNE?" Nora exclaimed, pushing Pyrrha aside and leaning close to Jaune's face.

Ren shook his head and covered his face. "Yes, Nora, it's Jau-"

"What are you talking about?" Jaune interrupted, surprising everyone, "I'm King Leonidas, King of the Spartans!" He slammed his spear into the carpet, making everyone in the room giggle. Nora, still confused as ever, slowly walked away and narrowed her eyes at Jaune.

"I'm on to you, kid."

"It's Jaune, Nora."

"Still on to him." Ren covered his face with his palm once again and swiped down, making his eyes droop. Pyrrha replaced herself in front of Jaune, and gave him a quick peck.

"You look awesome, Jaune. This costume really suits you." She smiled, then took a step closer and began to whisper into his ear.

Blake and Yang watched Pyrrha whisper into Jaune's ear from across the room. Pyrrha had covered her mouth with her hand so they couldn't read her lips, but whatever she was whispering made Jaune's face go blank. He began to grin, but as she finished up his mouth fell agape and face flushed a deep crimson.

* * *

><p>The group walked to Gampel, the building where the dance was being held. Upon entering, they were greeted with dim ambient lighting and Halloween decorations all around the stadium. They first had to check in, showing their tickets to the front desks and allowing the "judges" of the competition to take a very quick photo of them before going forward.<p>

The basketball court was converted into a dance floor; colorful, flashing lights surrounded the floor along with multiple speakers. The area surrounding the dance floor was filled with tables and chairs for those who wanted to grab a drink, relax, and talk to friends. Many students were already inside, and more continued to enter as the minutes passed by. The group claimed a table for themselves and slowly began to disperse around the building with their dates.

Weiss left to go meet her date, Blake and Adam left to go grab something to drink, and the rest of the party headed straight for the dance floor.

The floor was crowded and the air was very warm. Being packed together and moving frantically to the music had given everyone the chance to work up quite the sweat. It wasn't long before some got tired, and Pyrrha was one of them. After a long day of training and hanging with Jaune, she didn't feel like dealing with it.

"Hey," she said into Jaune's ear, "I'm tired, I'm gonna go sit down for a bit."

"Me too," Jaune replied, wiping sweat from his brow. "I'll grab us something to drink." Pyrrha nodded and smiled before breaking away, pushing through the crowd and making her way towards their table.

Jaune began to walk towards the beverage stand, slipping and sliding through the crowds of people. He was actually a bit relieved that he had decided to leave his spear and shield at the table: if Jaune had had them now, he would have surely taken a much more aggressive approach to getting through the crowds. After an annoyingly long struggle, Jaune finally broke out from the crowd and into a much more manageable space, immediately making a beeline for the punch table.

'_I think Pyrrha likes Nuka-Cola,' _he thought, beginning to pour a bottle of the fizzy neon-blue liquid, '_...or was it water she liked?'_ A couple of quick tugs at his cape derailed his train of thought. He spun around with the soda still in hand and to whom he expected to be Pyrrha to help him out, but jumped back slightly as Cinder's grinning face greeted him. Her Wonder Woman costume caught him by surprise, and he gaped at her for a moment before shaking his head and coughing lightly.

"Hey, Cinder! How's it, uh, goin'!" His throat clenched up a bit in nervousness and he couldn't shake the feeling that he had done something wrong. It was probably because of the hungry, sinister look she was giving him. Or perhaps the fact that he couldn't help but glance occasionally at her large bust, which she accentuated with both the costume and her folded arms. Or maybe the fact that her face continued getting closer to his, encroaching into his personal space mere inches from his face.

"Hello, Jaune." Cinder inched ever closer, glancing at the bottle in his hand. "Thirsty?"

"Well, kinda, I just got done dancing with my gir-"

"Pour me some?" Cinder walked past Jaune and grabbed a cup, holding it out to him as she pouted. Seeing no harm, Jaune smiled and poured the girl something to drink; Cinder looked around before reaching inside her boot, pulling out a flask and pouring some of the contents into her cup.

"Everyone has their poison." She downed the drink, grabbed the bottle of soda from Jaune and put it back onto the table. Jaune furrowed his brow and tsked.

"I was still using that."

"What would you say your poison is, Jaune?"

* * *

><p>Pyrrha sat waiting for Jaune, supporting her head with one hand while the other tapped on the table along to the beat of the music. Pyrrha glanced over at Weiss, who sat at the other side of the table with her date; he was nearly as tall as Adam, and his spiky jet black hair complimented his soft aqua eyes. Pyrrha thought Weiss had said his name was Zack, but Pyrrha wasn't completely sure. He glanced over at her, and she smiled and waved politely. He returned the gesture, then went back to his conversation with Weiss. Pyrrha tried looking through the crowded, costumed mass of people, expecting to see Jaune screwing up her drink as he would normally do.<p>

She stood when she found him, but not screwing up drinks; instead, her Spartan was being dragged onto the dance floor by some girl dressed up as Wonder Woman. The girl had an arm around his neck, and although he was trying to push her off him, he was having very little luck with how careful he was being. Both Zack and Weiss watched as Pyrrha growled and began pushing her way through the crowd, ready to destroy both Jaune and whoever it was that was daring enough to try and seduce him. She stopped as the music went low and a single bright spotlight shone onto the stage in front of the dance floor.

Standing front and center atop the stage stood none other than Headmaster Ozpin, covered head to toe in mummy wrappings. He tapped at the microphone to see if it was working before clearing his throat and moving his mouth closer to it.

"Hello." He said, silencing the whole room. Pyrrha bit her lip and stood still, not wanting to make a scene without the noisy cover of people talking and music blasting. She breathed heavily for a second and stood with her arms crossed, waiting for an opportunity to get closer.

"Thank you all for coming to the event. I'm sure it wasn't purely an act to try and win $150." A single curse could be heard floating through the silent air from the back of the room. Pyrrha turned her head to see who it was, assuming it to be Sun; she was proven correct when she heard Yang's loud voice let out a hearty laugh before letting loose a loud 'woot' with her fist held high. Even Ozpin chuckled, shaking his head in amusement before returning his attention to the microphone.

"Well, it's time to announce the winners of the competition." Behind Ozpin a large screen lit up; it had two boxes with pictures of every student that attended the dance rapidly scrambling.

"We asked a number of you who you thought should win the competition. Here's what you, and the judges you met on the way in, all thought." Ozpin motioned towards the screen. As the boxes began to noticeably slow down with the scrambling, Pyrrha looked over and noticed the rest of the group had showed up at the table. Nora, Ren and Velvet all crossed their fingers, Sun had his head on the table, Yang adjusted her cleavage and smiled, and Adam kept in character by "swooshing" his red cloth back and forth over Blake's head. The scrambling slowed and slowed until the pictures landed on two individuals, who just so happened to be standing together near the edge of the dance floor.

"It seems as though Jaune Arc wins for his Spartan costume," Ozpin began, "and Cinder Fall for her Wonder Woman costume! Congratulations, please come to the stage to claim your rewards."

Pyrrha cracked her knuckles and turned her neck both ways. '_So that's who Wonder Woman is, eh?'_ Her eyes locked on to the girl, who was hugging Jaune tightly. Pyrrha's eyes flared and clenched her teeth in rage as she watched Cinder lean in and give Jaune a quick peck on the cheek; luckily for him Jaune quickly pushed Cinder off and backed away, saving him a death sentence at the hands of Pyrrha. Cinder, on the other hand, wouldn't be so lucky. Realizing that Jaune would head to the table, she made her way back to meet him there. She sat down heavily in her seat, glaring angrily at Cinder as she received her prize.

"Killing her might get you in trouble." Pyrrha looked over to see who spoke, realizing it was Zack. He held a soft, amused grin. "Just sayin'." Pyrrha took a very heated breath and looked back to her prey.

"Killing her would be too easy." Pyrrha watched as Jaune very quickly thanked Ozpin, jumped off the stage and sprinted towards their table. She crossed her arms in waiting.

"Guys! I did it!" Jaune excitedly held up a blue envelope, shaking it around to exaggerate his happiness. His smile faded as the group failed to match his enthusiasm.

"Please tell me you didn't see what happened."

"Oh, we did." Pyrrha began, "I know it's not your fault, but please, stay away from her."

"Or she'll kill her!" Nora added, smiling towards Ren.

"No, I'd let her live. Barely." Pyrrha muttered spitefully, her eyes glowing with murderous intent. Adam nervously tugged at his collar, and Velvet's ears flopped down to the top of her head. Pyrrha noticed and chuckled anxiously before looking back to Jaune.

"I just don't like how... feely she is with you, okay?"

"Trust me, neither do I," Jaune replied, pretending to spit to emphasize his disgust, "it's like being injected by poison-!"

"What about poison?" Cinder came up from behind Jaune, leaning up against him with one arm on his shoulder as she moved her mouth closer to his ear. "If you're talking about me, I tend to have that effect on the boys I want." Jaune instantly jerked away, supporting himself against the table as he pointed at her.

"Crazy. You're crazy." Jaune said, scooting away from her and behind Pyrrha. He hid his face behind her shoulder and whispered, "Help." Pyrrha scowled at Cinder and put her hands on her hips. Cinder responded with an amused smile and crossed arms.

"Oh, look, it's the red head," Cinder began, "step aside so I can have a talk with Jauney-boy." Jaune lifted his head to speak up, but stopped when Pyrrha took an aggressive step towards Cinder.

"Stay away from him." Pyrrha growled with narrowed eyes. Cinder laughed heartily and followed it up with a sarcastic sigh.

"Or what?" The orange eyed girl challenged, cockily taking a step towards Pyrrha. They locked eyes, and Pyrrha clenched her fists tightly, wanting nothing more but to cock back and knock that damned smug grin off of Cinder's face. Pyrrha had never felt this way before, and everyone noticed that the gentle, kind Pyrrha was gone in this moment.

"Challenge her to an agni-kai!" Everyone turned to look at Ren, who had suddenly stood and shouted with a raised fist. He blushed, slowly sitting back into his chair. "Sorry. Got caught up in the moment."

"What's an agni-kai?" Cinder asked curiously, leaning over the table and giving him a full view of her cleavage. Nora shielded Ren's eyes and gave Cinder an aggressively evil stare.

"It's a fight." Ren stated matter-of-factly, letting Nora shield his view. "You vs. Pyrrha. Winner gets Jaune."

"Ren!" Everyone exclaimed, bewildered.

"Are you insane?" Weiss asked, "That's incredibly barbaric!"

"I think it's funny." Sun commented, receiving a slap in the back of the head from both Ruby and Yang. "Did I say funny? I meant terrible."

"No!" Pyrrha said, trying to calm everyone down, "That's not-"

"I challenge you to an agni-kai." Cinder declared bluntly, tilting her head as she spoke.

"Are you kidding!? Just stay away-" Pyrrha tried to yell, but was cut off once again.

"Winner gets Jaune." Cinder looked over at the blond and gave him a wink. She then crossed her arms and looked at Pyrrha, waiting for an answer that wasn't "no."

"I'd kinda like to see that." Adam said, leaning back in his chair. He was immediately scolded by Blake and slapped on the shoulder.

"Me too." Nora was the next to speak. Pyrrha stood motionless, stunned at what she was hearing.

"Nuuuuununununu no no noooo," she laughed as she spoke, "that's outrageous."

"Think you're gonna lose?" Cinder chided, trying to get her to take the bait. When Cinder saw Pyrrha wasn't going to accept such terms, she sighed and waved her hand dismissively. "Fine," Cinder shrugged, "How about this then? You win, I stay away. I win, I don't. I can keep going at him until he leaves you for me. Simple as that." She offered her hand to Pyrrha. "Next Saturday at 7. Deal?"

Pyrrha paused, mentally trying to process what was going on. She was about to agree to fight another girl over a boy. All considering, it was a win-win. Even on the off chance that she lost, all Cinder was able to do was continue to get shot down by Jaune. There was no way Jaune would leave her for Cinder, of that Pyrrha was sure. She looked at Jaune, who shrugged before placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Pyrrha, you don't have to-"

"Deal." Pyrrha spun back around and grasped Cinder's hand firmly, giving it a single shake.

"Great." The black haired girl took the opportunity to turn to Jaune. "Remember what your poison is, Jaune." Cinder released her grip from Pyrrha's hand, using the now freed hand to blow a kiss at Jaune before sauntering off. Pyrrha groaned at the gesture, turning around to face a table of gaping mouths.

"What?" Pyrrha sat back in her seat, everyone still staring at her. Jaune furrowed his brow and followed suit, seating himself hesitantly.

"I don't know what just happened." Jaune clicked his tongue and then looked over to Sun. "Two gorgeous women about to fight to the death for me. I think my dreams just came true." Pyrrha quickly looked at Jaune, shooting him a terrifying glare that made him feel like a small child about to get slapped by his mother.

"I-I'm rooting for you, of course, Fireball!" He added, grabbing and holding up his bronze shield to protect himself from any punches Pyrrha might sent his way. Pyrrha sighed and looked back to the rest of those at the table.

"Can I record it?" Nora asked, "I want to make sure you beating the crap out of her is on record."

"If you wish." Pyrrha replied, reclining into her chair. Jaune moved his chair a little closer and put his arm around her to try and calm her nerves.

"Look, Pyr, you don't have to do this."

"No, I think I do," Pyrrha responded, reaching up and grabbing Jaune's hand, "If I get it over with, she'll stay away from you. Which is very, very good."

"I don't get it," Ruby chimed in, "why is that girl so adamant about having Jaune?"

"To prove a point." Adam answered, resting on his elbows. "She has the reputation of getting what she wants. She's not going to let a freshman ruin that image."

"Adam's right," Blake commented, "she seems like she does whatever she can to get whatever she wants. I don't think there's any other real way to settle this."

"Yeah, I've heard about that girl," Zack stated, "she's fearless." Yang perked up and looked at the boy curiously.

"I'm sorry, but who are you again?" Yang asked, wagging her finger around at Zack. The black haired boy sighed and shook his head.

"It's not important." Sun smiled and giggled, giving Zack a thumbs up. The table went silent for a few seconds, before Ren cleared his throat.

"Fighting is not preferable," he remarked, "and I was joking about the agni-kai. That's not even a real thing." Yang's jaw dropped and Sun began to laugh harder.

"You're kidding," Sun said, slamming an open palm onto the table, "you made it up!?"

"Yes. Well, kinda. I saw it once in one of my shows. Also, I was bored."

"Ren!" The whole table shouted. All except Nora, who embraced him in a giant bear hug.

"You're learning!" She squealed, shaking Ren "Hefner" back and forth.

"So you're really going to do this?" Weiss asked, resting her cheek on her fist and swirling her cup of water around in her free hand.

"I don't really have a choice now, do I?" Pyrrha responded.

"You could always lock her in a room somewhere." Everyone turned their head to Velvet, who tried to shrink by curling into a ball on her seat. "I was only making a suggestion."

"Look, no matter what happens, I'm yours." Jaune looked deep into Pyrrha's eyes and took hold of both of her hands. "Got it? And if she really becomes a problem, I'll have Velvet lock her in a cellar or something."

"...I mean, if you really need me to-"

"That'll do, Velv."

* * *

><p>The dance ended about an hour after the winners were announced. The group gathered their things and head back to the quad, where some "stronger" beverages were waiting for them. Zack, unable to return with them, said his goodbyes and tossed a quick wave before breaking off from the group and heading back to his dorm. For the rest of the walk back, Yang and Nora teased Weiss about her date.<p>

Yang kicked the door open and dove inside, acting as though she were a spy as she brought out the large glass and plastic bottles. The group spent their night joking around and eventually, Yang pulled out the box marked "Cards Against Humanity." Nora looked around the room, searching for a piece of paper; when she found one, she quickly scribbled onto it with a red sharpie "AND FAUNUS." She took a piece of tape and stuck it to the box, then looked over to Velvet and gave her a hug along with a few pats on the head.

Blake felt weird as she watched Nora write the word 'faunus', as if she was forgetting something. She remembered what it was once everyone began asking to touch her ears since they looked "super-duper soft." Her eyes scanned the faces in the room, finally meeting Jaune's. With his arm around Pyrrha, he raised his cup to her and nodded encouragingly.

She hated that she was doing this, and that he was encouraging her so strongly to do it. She despised that anyone even had to know; just because the school was faunus-friendly didn't mean the people were. She sighed, then looked to everyone in the room.

"Everyone," Blake began, "I… I have something to tell you." She took a deep breath, and everyone gave her their full attention. She worriedly looked back to Jaune, who nodded once again. She then turned to Adam, who did the same. With another breath, she began.

"I… have been lying to you all."

"I KNEW SHE WAS A CYBORG!" Nora screamed, jumping and hiding behind the couch. Ren took her by her collar and propped her up, to which she smiled and hummed.

"Close, but not quite." Blake then began to move her set of cat ears around freely, to which everyone was amazed at.

"I didn't know they moved! You have those ears that move to brain waves and didn't tell us!?" Ruby exclaimed, pouting.

"No!" Blake yelled, throwing her hands in the air.

"Wait, what were you lying about then?" Nora asked innocently.

"Yeah, Blakey," Yang added, "are you actually a dude?"

"No, you idiot!" She yelled, completely shocking everyone, "I'm a faunus!" The room then went silent.

"What's the big deal?" Yang broke the silence, shrugging. "So you're faunus. It's not like you're a part of the White Fang…. right?" Yang stopped talking when she saw Blake's glare. "...Right?"

"What's the big deal!?" Blake shouted, fuming, "for years I had to hide it. I got made fun of, I was treated differently. I was born into segregation!" She turned her head down, trying to calm her anger. "No one loved me for who I was." When she looked up, she caught Jaune's pained eyes but looked away, even more anger in her chest. "I got looked at and treated as _if_ I were a part of the White Fang when I was just a little girl. And with what they've been doing lately, being a faunus is getting to be harder and harder. I decided to hide it, so I could hopefully be accepted." She began to cry, her eyes welling up as her fists clenched together.

"You don't know what it's like to be an orphan that adoptive parents don't even want to look at. _That's _the big deal, and that's why I have such a hard time telling-!"

Suddenly, Blake was wrapped in a soft embrace, the arms around her quivering slightly. She opened her eyes and was blinded by a sea of blonde hair.

"Blake, I'm so sorry." Yang hugged tighter. "I didn't mean to offend you!" After a few seconds of revitalization, Blake returned the hug.

"It's... alright…" Yang eventually released, allowing Blake to see the rest of the room. Everyone held soft smiles, and either nodded or gave Blake a thumbs up.

"This is your home," Nora said soothingly, "and we're your family. Don't forget it." She too walked up and gave Blake a hug, giving her a few pats on the back. The group eventually changed direction and got on with their card game, exchanging tears for laughs and frowns for smiles.

Jaune sat there, next to Pyrrha, a fake smile on his face. He was having fun, but for some reason or another he couldn't shake this sudden feeling of sadness.

He now knew the reason Blake never invited him over for play-dates when he was a kid.

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><p>Jaune laid sprawled across Pyrrha's bed, exhaustion finally settling in. His achy legs and feet begged him to just go home, shower, and fall asleep. However, he wasn't able to do so just yet.<p>

As the night wound down and everyone began to depart for their own rooms, Pyrrha had told him she had something to talk to him about. She insisted it was important and couldn't wait until tomorrow, so with a loud sigh and some groans he reluctantly agreed. He listened to Pyrrha's muffled voice through the door as she finished saying her goodbyes to the last of their friends.

He opened his eyes instinctively, staring at the white ceiling. He could hear Pyrrha shuffling around, but she was silent otherwise.

"So, what is it?" Jaune mumbled sleepily, letting his heavy eyelids close once again. Pyrrha's bed was way bigger and comfier than his, and he was dangerously close to passing out on it. Pyrrha neglected to answer him, and his thoughts began to become muddled as he became drowsier. Through the fog of his mind, he thought he could feel something cold on his wrist, but he dismissed it and happily chose to embrace peaceful sleep.

"Wake up!" Pyrrha's sudden outburst jolted him awake. He sat up wide eyed, looking feverishly around around the room before his eyes rested on his girlfriend at the end of the bed. She was still in her costume, and swayed her hips side to side with her hands behind her back.

"Good morning." Jaune groaned as he tried to rub his eyes. A loud metallic "clink" sounded as Jaune tried bringing his right hand to his face. It stood firm above his head, and he looked up in drowsy confusion to see why. When his vision finally cleared and he got a good look at his hand, his eyes went wide in surprise.

He had been handcuffed to the metal bed frame.

"Uh, Pyrrha?" Jaune chuckled nervously, still staring incredulously at the sleek silver cuffs. "It seems as though I have been handcuffed." He brought his head back to Pyrrha, who smiled wide and narrowed her eyes a bit as she tossed her hat and belt to the side.

"Because you've been a bad, bad boy, Jaune."

"Well that's nice," Jaune began, his voice tinged with a bit of nervousness, "But what about Yang? What if she…" Pyrrha crawled seductively up to him from the edge of the bed, straddling his hips before gently placing a single finger on his lips to quiet him.

"She's out with Sun." Pyrrha purred, her eyes twinkling with excitement as she let her jacket loosen around her shoulders and fall off onto the bed. She took her hair out of a ponytail, shaking it a little brief letting her silky crimson locks settle messily.

"Oh."

"So that gives me plenty of time to teach _my _spartan who he belongs to."

"Well, technically speaking that'd be my dad-"

"Shut up." Jaune smiled, and with his free arm, reached around Pyrrha's waist and pulled her in tight, and she giggled playfully at his sudden aggressiveness. Jaune looked into her bright emerald eyes as her hair tickled his neck; she smiled at him, and realized he wasn't tired anymore.

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><p><em><strong>So many questions,<br>**__**And I'm talkin' to myself.  
><strong>__**I know you can't hear me anymore, not anymore.**_

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><p><strong>Zack: Zack Fair from FF7 (My avatar)<strong>

**Next chapter is almost done and I think it's rad- a lot shorter, but super fun to write. Can Cinder beat Pyrrha in a fight? Dunno, this should be fun to witness.**

**Quick question- with Vol. 2 coming up... will you guys still be interested in the story? PM me or review with an answer, I just wanna know if I should slow down when Vol. 2 is out.**

**Remember to review, it helps us! Thanks for reading, see you verrrrry soon with Chapter 14!**


	14. TOBU: Tale of Pyrrha and Sun

**SUPPPPpppppppPPPPP**

**How about a 100 follower special!? This is the first of ... six? ... Tales of Beacon University (TOBU)! They randomly take place AFTER last chapter's setting. Basically the day after, or 2-3 days after. They're not tangents, but they're little things I wrote up and wanna post.**

**As for the continuation of this story; we have received a lot of positive reviews! We love you for that... however, we have received many more negative PM's than positive. Unfortunately, due to time and lack of interest... I won't be continuing this story past Volume 2. **

**With that said, ... lol jk, I will be continuing this! You are all awesome, and thanks for 110 FOLLOWS! **

**Enjoy the Tale of Pyrrha and Sun.**

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><p>A light mist veiled Pyrrha as she stepped out the doors of the Recreation center. She shivered at the sudden change in temperature; it was so much hotter inside the Rec-center, especially while she was training. Pyrrha grabbed the hood that hung behind her neck and threw it over her head, glad she had thought to steal one of Jaune's hoodies. She began towards her dorm, staring at the moist concrete sidewalk while she walked. She hummed lightly to herself as she went through her mental checklist and wrapped up her typical Sunday routine. She had studied, lifted with Jaune and taught him some more about being a better fighter, then finished her own solo MMA training regiment once he had left. Today's training was a bit more intense, however; Pyrrha felt her muscles strain slightly as she moved, and could already feel the soreness setting into her hands and upper body. Her stomach growled loudly, demanding food to help rebuild and repair her fatigued muscles because the protein shake she had just wasn't enough.<p>

The light patter of rain encompassed Pyrrha as it sounded all around her, forming a mental cocoon of tranquility and allowing her to ease her built up anxieties. The mist cooled her face, and the air tasted crisp and fresh on Pyrrha's tongue. She was happy to finally have a moment of serenity; ever since accepting Cinder's challenge on Halloween her mind had raced. Pyrrha laughed to herself at the absurdity of the situation, the rain so calming to her that she didn't even notice how soaked her clothes were becoming.

"_Hey!"_

Pyrrha paused for a moment, sure she had heard a familiar voice. She shook her head and continued on, ignoring it. She was exhausted. Her knuckles hurt. Her thighs hurt. Her everything hurt. Not to mention the unbearably crippling hunger that clawed at her insides. Pyrrha sighed, shaking her head and dismissing the voice as her imagination before returning her focus to the ambient noises around her. She listened to the sounds of her squeaky wet shoes echo off the buildings around her. Felt the cool breeze that rolled past her legs, and the light mist that fell ever so gently on her face-

"_Pyrrha! Wait up, dammit!"_

Pyrrha perked up and stopped walking. That was definitely not her imagination. She quickly turned to the sound of heavily plodding feet and rustling plastic.

"Jesus, I thought you were just gonna ditch me. And that's racist." Sun jokingly huffed as he caught his breath. He stood before Pyrrha in a clear poncho draped over his regular attire, his blonde hair wet and slicked by the rain and a plastic bag in either hand. Pyrrha wasn't exactly in the mood for conversation, but determinedly met his grin with one of her own anyways.

"Hi Sun," Pyrrha greeted, adjusting her gym bag strap, "mind if we keep walking?" Sun smiled back and nodded, getting right beside the girl and walking in stride with her.

"Just get back from the gym?"

"Yeah."

"How was that?"

"Good."

"Cool. I just got back from the Union…" Sun informed nonchalantly, looking to his side at a rather disinterested Pyrrha. She was utterly lost in her own thoughts, staring at the ground while they walked. Sun shrugged, continuing to walk with her in silence. After a couple more steps Sun looked over wide-eyed as Pyrrha's stomach growled loudly, the noise resembling something akin to Godzilla mixed with a dying whale. They stopped walking, and Pyrrha smiled sheepishly at him while holding her stomach.

"Sorry. I'm hungry." Pyrrha stated, making Sun chuckle and raise an eyebrow in amusement.

"So I've noticed. Why didn't you just say so!" The faunus boy held up the bag in his left hand, a devilish twinkle in his eye. "I have Jaune's food right here!" He bowed his head jokingly, presenting the food to Pyrrha as her emerald eyes stared blankly at the bag in confusion.

"And?" Pyrrha asked.

"Aaand you can take it." He shook his hand up and down, making the bag rattle loudly in the rain. "I'm sure he'll understand." Pyrrha shook her head and held up her palm, to which Sun sighed heavily in mock frustration. "Damn it woman, don't be difficult! Take the bag!"

"I can't take his food, I'll just go to the-!" Sun cut Pyrrha off as he suddenly dropped the heavy bag in her hands, throwing his hand behind his head and continuing to walk without her.

"It's my treat!" Sun cried defiantly with a wink. Pyrrha stood stunned for a second before shaking her head with a smile. While she didn't want to steal her boyfriend's meal, it seemed as though Sun was making her an offer she couldn't refuse.

"Fine." Pyrrha relented with a sigh, causing Sun's face to beam as he victoriously threw an arm around the redhead's shoulders. He used it to steer the tired girl through the streets, eventually ending up in front of Pyrrha's dorm building.

"Key me!" Pyrrha handed her key-card to Sun, who eagerly opened the door. The two walked inside and instead of up the stairs to Pyrrha's room, Sun led her straight on. Pyrrha, still much too tired to care, let him lead her to their destination, the building's study lounge. The large room housed many wooden tables and cushioned chairs, but no students occupied them at the moment. Taking advantage the emptiness of the room, Sun dramatically moved towards a table, setting down his bag before pulling out a chair and bowing chivalrously. He motioned for Pyrrha to take a seat.

"M'lady." Sun smiled wide and Pyrrha chuckled.

"Thanks, Sun." She took her gym bag off and placed it beside the table, soon after taking a seat and placing her newly acquired plastic goodie-bag in front of her. Sun then snatched the bag and ran to the other side of the table and sat, opening it and placing food in front of Pyrrha.

"Has Yang been treating you nicely?" Pyrrha asked innocently as he set the food out. Sun paused what he was doing for a moment and gave Pyrrha narrowed eyes.

"What makes ya ask?" Sun questioned, squinting his eyes further and pointing a finger at her, "did she put you up to it?!"

"No," Pyrrha answered, "I'm just curious. She talks about you all the time." Sun blinked a few times and perked up. He placed the container of food he still had in his hands onto the table and let a soft grin form on his face.

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know."

"Aw, come on!" Sun begged, "you can't do that!" Pyrrha laughed a little before waving one of her hands.

"Alright, alright!" Pyrrha said in between chuckles. "Most of the time she talks about how funny you are. Last night I couldn't get her to shut up."

"Yesssssss." Sun said, holding up a fist. "Anything else?"

"She sometimes talks about how annoying you are."

"...Anything else that's _good_?" Pyrrha giggled a bit and sighed.

"She thinks you're very sweet… and I usually hear something about your abs."

"I knew these would pay off." Sun banged his fist onto his stomach as he spoke. "Well it's good to know she actually likes me!"

"Yeah," Pyrrha said, "I also heard about this... whipped cream incident? What was the deal with-"

"Hey hey hey!" Sun exclaimed, his face red as he coughed a bit in between words. "Enough about me!" Sun quickly went back to spreading food from the bags around the table. "Don't you wanna know what Jaune says about you?" Pyrrha grinned ear to ear, tilting her head in curiosity.

"He talks about me to you?"

"Non-stop." Sun said, placing a bowl of soup in front of the chair he was about to sit in. "He can't get over how such a pretty girl likes him." Pyrrha's skin became warm as her face flushed in joyous embarrassment.

"Really?"

"You bet," Sun continued, "everyday it's 'Pyrrha is such a smokeshow,' or 'Pyrrha this' and 'Pyrrha that.' He always tells me how nice you are." Sun paused and furrowed his brow. "Well, how nice you are when he isn't saying something stupid."

"Aw, that's sweet. I'll have to thank him."

"He also loves to talk about your butt, which I find-"

"I can probably live without hearing this part, Sun." Sun smiled wide and proceeded to crumple up the bags the food was in. He tossed them into a nearby trashcan, then ran back to the table and took a seat. As she prepared to eat, Pyrrha finally realized just how much food sat in front of her.

"Jaune was going to eat ALL of this?" Before Pyrrha there sat a sealed bowl of clam chowder, two slices of pizza which had steam coming from within its to-go box, a burrito wrapped in silver foil, and three cookies. She looked at Sun as he began to chow down viciously and her stomach growled loudly again, urging her to hurry up and do the same.

"Yeah, he eats a lot."

"I knew that, but this is much more than I've seen him eat."

"You're not looking hard enough." Pyrrha gave a fake scowl and sighed, looking down at the food before her.

"Come on, he said it was okay." Sun's sarcastic tone made Pyrrha look up at him, and he grinned before sliding his phone across the smooth white surfaced table. She caught it and picked it up, reading the text message Jaune had sent to Sun.

'_You son of a bitch, tell her I'll kill her if she touches it!1!'_

Pyrrha laughed at the text, then slid Sun's phone back to him. Glancing down at the burrito, she picked it up and pulled away the aluminum wrapping with a smirk.

"I'd like to see him try."

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><p><strong>So, did any of you really think I was stopping when you read the AN above? If so... haha, suckers.**

**This is the first of many Tales (about 6). They will hopefully be coming out every other day this week in preparation for the next chapter. **

**We really, really appreciate you all for reading our silly little story. 100 follows- that's super rad, and seriously, thank you. I know the numbers don't matter, but seeing the triple digits is satisfying. **

**Remember to review! We take them seriously at it motivates us like crazy! Do you like the Tales? Who are you looking forward to?**


	15. Dance Dance Quick Update

"From the top, idiots!"

"Seriously, Nora? That wasn't good enough?!" Jaune was exhausted, but Nora's glare was enough to send shivers down his spine as well as enough to make him bite his lip in fear. While it was late, and Jaune could probably be studying or doing something productive with his life, Nora had him, Pyrrha and Ren stationed at the ballroom for what she called a "state of emergency."

"No, Ren missed step 46, but you were great Jaune!" Nora smiled and gave a thumbs up in Jaune's direction, making the blond boy smirk in return before taking a seat next to Pyrrha.

"You were counting his steps?" Pyrrha asked from her seat on the polished wooden floor, also in a fatigued daze. She looked over to Ren for assurance that Nora was as scrutinizing as she thought; the magenta-eyed boy only nodded, confirming that Nora was indeed counting everyone's steps.

"Pyrrha, you were okay, but... okay, no, you weren't. You missed steps 32 _and _54. Those are easy too!" Nora exclaimed, leaning in for emphasis. "You can dance around an MMA ring but not a dance floor?! What's wrong with ya!?"

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha pouted. "I guess I'm not good enough, I should just leave-"

"False. You're not getting out of this." Nora snapped, wagging a finger at the red-haired girl. Pyrrha furrowed her brow and gave a crooked frown in frustration.

"We all don't have seven sisters like Jaune!" Pyrrha complained. "Plus I'm almost certain I have two left feet. Or like, cement fused into my soles. Is that a thing?"

"Maybe." Nora shrugged. "But all excuses aside, you still suck at dancing."

"Why are we learning choreographed dance again, Nora?" Ren asked, stepping up from his seat. He gave the girl a smile and a tilt of the head. "It seems rather impractical."

"Your life is impractical." Ren only sighed at Nora's insult, making the girl giggle. "Just kidding. But seriously, you never know when you need to break out into a groovy-ass dance!"

"They day we need to is the day I wear a dress." Jaune mumbled into Pyrrha's ear, making the girl laugh.

"I heard that!" Nora yelled, running over to Jaune and picking him up by his shirt. "RUN A LAP."

"A lap? Around what-"

"A LAP!" Jaune jumped and squeaked before running towards the ballroom's white walls, scaling them as he began to sprint around the room. "Anyone else want to join him!?"

"N-No!" Pyrrha and Ren both answered, lining up next to Nora.

"Good! Okay, from the top!"

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><p><strong>So, I guess I kinda vanished... eh? <strong>

**The amount of love this story has gotten is awesome; so really, to all that read it, review and PM me- thanks! It's cool to see y'all get immersed into a story and forget the real world for a bit. **

**So, time to address why I updated today. Got a lot of PM's and what not about when my next real chapter will be. Honest truth? Don't know. ****Might be a while. Pretty busy with stuff, but I'm sure if you're patient something will come out in the near(ish?) future. Smaller things for sure, so sorry about that. I'd rather put something that isn't half... 3/4 bad than something that's just thrown together and posted, y'know? The last time I updated was months ago- not sure if people are into this story as much anymore! Getting back into the (if you can call it this) 'plot' may be tough...**

**That being said, as for creative input and stuff I have some new material thanks to the wrapping of Vol. 2. But, here's my proposal- if you want to see something, why don't you recommend it? If you're in college, university, or even high school- if you have a scenario you want displayed throw it at me and I can consider it, because why not! The next thing plot wise that will happen is the fight I believe. Really, really don't know when that will happen... however, I like writing short little instances in the meantime. So, have something you think could work nicely with the BU characters, pitch it! Gotta say, I'm not gonna fanservice with ships or OCs or character death, so don't submit that. Just somewhat real-life scenarios.**

**Sooooo yeah, that's it. Don't know when something will come out next. TL;DR? Thanks for reading, sorry for vanishing, and if you're still into this story submit ideas if you want!**

**See ya when I do! -R**


	16. Tale of Yang and Nora

**_"I am aware now that everything's gonna be fine."_**

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><p>Yang walked out of her dorm building, pausing to raise her arm and shield her eyes from the bright sunlight shining through the shifting tree leaves. She took a deep breath, enjoying the crisp taste of the saturated morning air as she stretched her arms above her head. After letting out a satisfied sigh, Yang turned onto the path to her left and began making her way towards Nora's dorm. Yang was eager to finally spend some time with Nora. She thought they 'd really hit it off during the Halloween dance after party, but since then they'd both been too busy studying to find the time to get together and talk. When Yang had told Nora about her plan to have a "girl's day out" the energetic redhead practically burst with excitement, happily accepting the invitation with a massive smile.<p>

Once she arrived at Nora's dorm building Yang sent the girl a quick text before leaning against the building's side to wait for her. It didn't take long for the fiery blonde's patience to wear thin, however, and after nine minutes without a response she was ready to unload a flurry of angry messages. Before she could, however, the large metal door next to her opened suddenly, revealing none other than Nora's roommate Velvet. Yang quickly used a nearby rock to wedge open the door as it nearly swung shut, not allowing it to lock before she greeted her friend.

"Velv! What's up?" Yang exclaimed as she pulled the small faunus girl into a tight hug. Velvet gasped in surprise at Yang's sudden greeting, then laughed embarrassedly as she weakly tried to return the embrace. Yang held on for a few more seconds before finally letting Velvet go, allowing the petite girl to her catch her breath.

"Hello Yang. What brings you here?" Velvet managed, still recovering from Yang's greeting.

"I'm here to meet up with Nora for our 'girl's day out!' Is she almost ready?" Velvet looked up at Yang quizzically.

"I think I remember Nora saying something about that," Velvet began, "Oh, but she's up in the room and still-"

"Got it!" Yang shouted as she kicked the door wide open and ran inside. Velvet tried to reach out her hand and stop Yang, but she was already gone. The bunny faunus stood frozen, hand outstretched as the door slowly closed in front of her.

"-sleeping..." she finished quietly, her words hanging awkwardly in the air as she shrugged and turned the other way.

Yang sprinted up the stairs, ascending them two at a time and reaching Nora's floor in record time. She bolted down the hallway, stopping at the fifth door to the left. Yang took the courtesy of knocking twice before deciding to barge in anyways; inside the room was almost completely dark, but Yang could just barely make out the murky silhouette of Nora sprawled out on her bed. Yang covered her face with her hands and threw her head back, letting out a long groan before sliding her hands down her face and placing them on her hips.

"Nora!" she shouted, invoking a small twitch from the girl's body, "Aren't you gonna get ready for the day?" Nora seemed to be unaffected by Yang's intrusion, her body only shifting slightly under the covers. It only took a couple more seconds, however, before Nora abruptly sprung up in bed, startling Yang. She lazily rubbed her eyes before looking over at Yang sleepily, smiling, and jumping down off her bed. After yawning one last time she stretched her neck, pat down her nightshirt a bit, then raised her arms at her sides triumphantly.

"I'm ready!" Nora exclaimed, grabbing her favorite sloth hoodie and giving it a sniff before sliding it on. Yang titled her head in amusement at the orange haired girl's antics.

"Are you sure you're ready? Don't you wanna… wash your face, or something?" Yang suggested, motioning towards Nora's face, which still held a bright red imprint of her pillow. Nora walked over to her mirror and inspected herself. She took only a few seconds before turning back to the blonde in the doorway.

"Nah, I'm all good." She declared with a smile.

"Alright…" Yang conceded, "That's fine, because today I booked us down at the spa downtown. Our appointment's in 30 minutes, though, so we have to leave now to make it." Nora's shoulders slumped a little bit.

"Aw, the spa? Do I have to go?" Nora pouted. "That's something Ren would like way more than me. Bring him."

"Oh, come on Nora!" Yang begged. "It'll be fun!" Nora shrugged and pulled her hoodie over her head.

"If you say so." Nora moped quietly, walking slowly towards the door and Yang. Before Yang closed the door, something caught her eye on Nora's bed. She walked back inside and stopped at the bedside before picking up what was surely a small chibi plushie of Ren. She inspected the doll in profound amusement before looking over at Nora.

"Uh, Nora?" Nora turned around, puzzled at Yang's curious tone. She stopped dead in her tracks as she watched Yang manipulated "little Ren's" tiny arms to make him dance.

"Give me that!" Faster than Yang had ever seen anyone move Nora sprung from her position and grabbed the plushie from her, quickly hiding it under the comforter before turning back to Yang. "Tell anyone what you saw here today and I will literally kill you." The dangerous look in Nora's teal eyes sent a shiver down Yang's spine, and she looked away instinctively.

"Tell anyone what, Nora?" Yang chuckled nervously, still unable to look directly at her. "I saw nothing. Nothing at all."

"You're goddamn right."

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><p>The girls arrived at the spa, a light brown building with white cement leading to the glass door entrance. It had a large fountain in front of it, and the whole setup was emanating with an overpowering aura of tranquility.<p>

"7th Heaven Spa," Nora read with a sigh, "sure sounds like my kind of place."

"Come on! Aren't you excited?" Yang asked, smiling wide at Nora while she continued to stare straight ahead.

"Sure, Yang. I still think Ren would enjoy this more."

"Good!" Yang grabbed Nora's hand and led her inside. The light brown colored walls were covered with paintings, and the room had many decorative flowers placed all around. The sounds of running water and faint classical music could be heard, and the air was warm and relaxing. Yang smiled at Nora again, who returned it this time.

An hour or so later the two girls walked out of the spa, thanking the woman at the front desk as they exited the doors. The duo made their way back to campus with blissful smiles and relaxed, confident strides. They had received the full treatment: manicures, pedicures, hair treatment, face masks, massages, and a sauna session. Even a nutritional mud bath, in which Nora had loads of fun turning it into an all out mud ball fight. With their hair, nails, and makeup all done they walked down the street feeling fantastically rejuvenated.

"Y'know, I'm not usually into this kinda stuff," Nora commented, "but I actually feel… refreshed and girly."

"I'm glad!" Yang cheered, "I'm happy you enjoyed it." As they neared Beacon, they caught the attention of a particularly rude group of girls in front of them.

"You're supposed to lightly apply your makeup, not slam your face into it..." one said just loud enough for Yang and Nora to hear with a sneer.

"I didn't know they were offering clown classes at beacon!" another said louder, this time looking directly at Nora. They continued jeering as they walked past, laughing sadistically after every cruel comment.

"Hey, how bout you guys catch a boat to 'Fuckoffity land' you pricks!" Yang shouted angrily, displaying her middle finger to the group and causing them to yelp and quickly pass by without looking back. Nora put her head down with a slight sigh and shook it a little. Yang noticed, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't listen to them." Yang said, furrowing her brow seriously. "They're bitches."

"No, no, it's fine." Nora said, putting her hands in her pockets. She sniffed a little, and looked up to Yang. "I'm used to being made fun of. In elementary school, I was picked on a lot. But then Ren moved next to me… and stopped it all." She smiled and looked back down to the ground.

"He made me confident with who I am. I don't waste time with appearances. I don't care what I look like, because I'm not looking for the approval of others." She continued to walk, Yang attentively listening at her side. "I only care about what Ren thinks. He likes me just how I am, and now..." Nora paused, looking up at the blonde with a smile, "..so do you guys."

"You're awesome, Nora. Don't ever change because of people like them." Yang said sincerely, giving Nora a nudge and a wink. "If I ever see those jerks again, I'll break their legs for you." Nora giggled and smiled.

"Thanks, Yang." Nora said gratefully, giving Yang a light punch on the arm. "You're alright."

"Ren plush." Yang reminded in a sing-song voice.

"You're also dead."

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><p><strong>AN:**

**Heyo. Again, not sure when the plot of the main story will be updated. However, we are back. Reviews are absolutely wanted, and will only speed up the process. Up next will be another Tale, or a plot submitted by one of you! We have a lot and look forward to getting it on here. See ya next time.**


	17. Scarlet

**A/N: We're back, and extremely excited about this chapter. We really hope you enjoy it, and we'd like to apologize for our disappearance. Please leave a review! More to say at the end, here's the next installment of Beacon University!**

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><p>"<em><strong>You and I, fears and lies."<strong>_

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><p>It's not that Jaune hated mornings, but he wasn't exactly overly fond of them either. He groaned loudly into his pillow, remembering this fact as the not so soothing sounds of construction outside woke him. Taking the time to shoot a contemptuous glare at the curtained window, Jaune sat at the edge of the bed for a few moments before he slowly walked over to grab his toothbrush and toothpaste. With his toiletries in hand, he stepped out of the room and down the hall towards the bathroom. Jaune set his things down by the sink, squinting his eyes in the harsh lights in an attempt to inspect his overall appearance; It felt as though he'd been out of it for a long time, and his messy hair and drowsy, sunken eyes only reinforced the sentiment.<p>

'What a great feeling... it feels as though I've been asleep for ages." he thought as he let out a satisfied sigh and ruffled his matted hair. It had been quite a while since the blonde had been fortunate enough to enjoy a long, restful night of deep sleep, and he was grateful to have had that chance. As his body gradually awoke, he could feel all of the energy his rest had stored up. With a fire in his belly, his motivation to take on the day head on ignited and he quickly finished washing up. Returning to his dorm, Jaune looked up at Sun as he adjusted his black hoodie; the poor faunus was burnt out at this point after dealing with not only a weekend of drinking and partying with Yang but three exams the following week as well. Jaune smiled at his snoring friend, and decided Sun would probably rather sleep than go to breakfast. Jaune fished his phone out of his pocket, scrolling down to find the group chat with Ren and Nora before sending a quick text to them both.

_[Message] Breakfast? _

He didn't wait for a response before stuffing his phone back into his pocket; thanks to Ren the two were always up at an early hour, so he knew they'd be there regardless. Jaune went over to his desk to make sure he had all the necessities for the day. While his notebooks were important, what he was really making sure he had was his new favorite pen. Tired of constantly having to lend out her good pens to him, Pyrrha surprised Jaune with an expensive and extremely high quality fine tipped pen a few days ago. The pen wrote like a dream, but the real reason he was so fervent in his search for it was Pyrrha's one condition in return for the pen: were he to lose it, she would break one of his fingers. The ice in her eyes and voice at the declaration of said condition still sent shivers down his spine. Jaune knew better than to discredit her threat, and made sure he knew where the pen was at all times.

Jaune didn't have to pull his phone out to know the muffled buzz meant Ren and Nora were already heading to the dining hall. Smiling at Ren's reliability, he grabbed the now found pen, stuffed it in his pocket, put his backpack on and made his way to the dining hall. It was Friday, which meant the kitchen staff had put some extra effort in their work. Jaune leered hungrily at his plate filled with spiced sausage links, fried eggs, and crispy golden brown home-fries. He walked over to the usual table, spotting both Ren and Nora already seated and eating. Their plates were adorned mostly with similar items, the only exception being Nora's usual extra plate stacked high with flapjacks and smothered in savory maple syrup.

"Hey, guys." Jaune greeted as he placed his food down and sat with caution; after knocking over Nora's flapjack tower once before, he was much too frightened to repeat the same thing.

"Hi Jauney!" Nora replied with enthusiasm, taking a quick gulp of her coffee. Jaune had also learned by now that it was best to ignore the slight twitches Nora experienced during coffee drinking. "Where's Pyrrha?"

"I thought I'd let her sleep in a little before her classes," Jaune stated nonchalantly, digging his fork into his pile of food and striking a sausage. He had been waiting all week for these things, and the kitchen staff never disappointed. It was cooked perfectly, essentially melting in his mouth and leaving an explosion of flavor in its wake. "I figured she'd rather get some rest in before tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Ren asked quizzically, thinking for a moment before his eyes lit up, "Oh, yeah... that. I actually forgot about that. Feels like that was a year ago."

"Seriously! I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way!" Jaune exclaimed, smiling wide before stuffing another bite of food in his mouth.

"So she's actually going to do it?" Nora questioned, only to follow up her question by slurping down a maple flavored pancake.

"I guess so," Jaune shrugged his shoulders and took another bite of his food, this time some of the hash-browns. "It all seems stupid to me."

"It does seem strange," Ren pondered aloud, "There has to be some sort of ulterior motive to all of this. I've been trying to figure it out."

"And?" Jaune asked curiously, only looking up from his food for a second. It was much too delicious to not give his full attention to.

"He's got nothin!" Nora interjected before Ren could answer, smiling and humming at the stoic faced boy. "We talked about it a bit a few nights ago. We really couldn't think of any reason Cinder would do what she did." The orange haired girl shrugged a little before turning her attention back to her breakfast.

"If anything, Jaune," Ren continued, "It's to simply cause drama. Word gets around quickly."

"Yeah, I guess." Jaune sighed, unwilling to continue the conversation any further. It was so tiring to even speak of the subject, much less wait for Pyrrha and Cinder to get it all over with. Jaune always had the preconception having multiple girls fight for you would be fantastic, but this experience shattered that fantasy and taught him that, in reality, it was nothing but unwarranted stress.

He sighed again, shoving another fork full of egg into his mouth.

* * *

><p>Classes went by quickly for Pyrrha. Having already gone over her textbooks multiple times beforehand, the lectures held little to no new material. Class was let out with Pyrrha only having to jot down a few notes here and there, and she enjoyed the calm walk back to the dorm in the warm sunlight. The cool breeze that swept through the campus, and Pyrrha felt it complimented the sun's warmth perfectly.<p>

_'However,'_ she thought to herself, _'I can't quite call it a perfect day until I've seen Jaune...'_ Pyrrha blushed as she realized how corny she sounded. Luckily for her, Friday nights always marked when the whole group got together. It was something she had come to love almost as much as training, and she looked forward to the coming night.

Yang's loud music greeted Pyrrha before she had even reached the door, and she smiled with an amused sigh. Pyrrha swung the door open to reveal her roommates already switching from "academic" mode to "weekend." Weiss had already finished all of her work and was in the process of closing her books and putting them away. Blake lounged on one couch napping, while Yang sat on the other playing on her Xbone, simultaneously lip syncing along with her music. Pyrrha felt at peace, but after taking a few steps towards her room a sudden revelation dawned on her and her mood plummeted.

She grimaced, letting out an annoyed huff before walking into her room and placing her bag on the bed. Walking back into the common room she noticed her foul expression had garnered the attention of her three friends.

"Something wrong, Pyrrha?" Weiss asked, tilting her head slightly.

"I just remembered I have to fight that Cinder tomorrow." Pyrrha groaned, eliciting surprised expressions in the trio in front of her.

"Wait, that's still happening?" Yang asked, only allowing herself to look away from her game for a few seconds, "I thought that was, like, a year ago."

"No… No, it's still in effect." Pyrrha recalled bitterly. Blake only offered a sympathetic shake of her head before drifting back into her nap. Yang smirked as Pyrrha rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Although it does feel like it has been put off for quite some time, I'll admit."

"You'll be fine," Yang reassured, placing her controller down as she leaned over to turn off her gaming console. "Now, hurry up and let everybody know to come over in a bit. We're playing spin the bottle tonight!" Yang's announcement sent a shiver down the other girls' spines, leaving them visibly shaken. Yang was overbearing enough in instances of normalcy. During a game in which anything goes? It would be a nightmare, and not one of them could say they looked forward to it.

"What version of spin the bottle are we talking about here, Yang?" Pyrrha questioned apprehensively with a raised eyebrow. She was all too familiar with Yang and her insatiable need to embarrass others.

"The truth or dare one! I'd rather not play the kissing one, I'd feel bad for the girl… or guy… that had to kiss your _precious_ Jauney." Yang teased with a wink, causing Pyrrha's cheeks to flush pink. She turned away,trying in vain to hide her blushing face from Yang.

"Can we … not do that?" Blake asked, her eyes darting around the room nervously.

"Why Blake, have any more secrets you don't want us to know about?" Blake blushed a little at Yang's question.

"No, I… shut up."

"Great!" Yang gave a sharp thumbs up. "This will be fun! I promise!"

* * *

><p>The rest of the gang arrived a couple of hours later, but it only took an hour of casual drinking and conversation before Yang finally had her prize: an empty bottle.<p>

"Alright guys," the blonde said, narrowing her eyes maliciously, "you ready to get started?" The conversation came to a sudden halt and the air became still. Each person wore a similar grin of nervous discontent. There wasn't a single person there ready or willing to submit themselves to Yang's ruthless play style, but the fire burning deep in her eyes told them it would be much wiser to simply play. Reluctantly, they formed a small circle on the carpet.

"Uh, can I get a quick refresher on what's cool and uncool here?" Sun muttered, scratching his cheek. "I sort of forgot."

"I just wasn't listening." Ren grumbled, receiving a swift slap to the back of his head from Nora.

"Don't be sassy." The girl scolded, making Ren sigh. Across the circle, visible frustration came from the blond brawler.

"Okay, for the last time, here are the rules we settled on. No property damage, nothing super gross, and nothing that can kill us. We all get one 'pass,' meaning if there is something you will absolutely not do you can pass up on it. But only ONE! The next time you pass, you have to take a shot of… THIS!" Yang pulled out a large plastic bottle from behind her, displaying it clearly for all present to see. An audible gasp came from the circle; there was no mistaking the black and red label and the orange "$6.99" price sticker on the side. It was Dewbra- well known for being not only the cheapest brand of vodka, but also the absolute worst. Yang grinned smugly. "So, I would think twice before using up your one skip. Unless you enjoy drinking gasoline and breathing fire."

Even 10 minutes into the game, the tension had not begun to dissipate. Thus far, Ren had been ordered by Yang to kiss Nora, but it had taken almost a full eight minutes of shouting and jeering before he went through with it. Jaune was sure Ren was going to pass out; he never would have believed a human face could get so red. During the kiss, Nora shot a sneaky thumbs up at Yang. Ren, once he recovered, was next to spin the bottle. It landed on Pyrrha, and after a quick request whispered to Ren by Sun, Ren grinned and pointed at the redhead before motioning to the blond girl next to her.

"You must kiss Yang. It'll make Sun happy." Sun had his fists clenched in anticipation and sat with an eager smile.

"No problem! We kiss all the time!" Yang practically leapt from her position and onto a startled Pyrrha, receiving shouts and cheers from the entire group.

It was then Pyrrha's turn to spin, and the neck of the bottle ended up pointing towards Blake. Though she thought she was safe choosing "truth," the redhead was able to get Blake to use her skip in the first round.

"Read us a whole page out of that book you're always blushing at and reading in secret. What is it called again? Ninjas of Lo-"

"Pass." Everyone sat with stunned expressions at the faunus girl's immediate refusal. Blake blushed loudly, covering her face with her hands as her ears drooped in embarrassment. "M-my turn, right?" She quickly reached out and gave the bottle a swift flick of the wrist. When its momentum finally came to a stop the neck pointed towards Nora, but the orange haired girl was more than ready to face this challenge head on. She placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest confidently.

"Bring it on! I choose dare!" Nora yelled, smiling. Blake's demeanor changed drastically, and a grin formed on her face.

"Oh, really? Okay then how about you go get your Ren plushie and make him dance for us." The glint in Blake's eyes scared everyone, especially Nora. Nora's brave front crumbled, and the color drained from her face.

"B-but.. h-how did you…" Nora managed weakly as her eyes scanned the room for answers. They eventually landed on Yang, who whistled nonchalantly as she poked at the ground. Nora's eyes flared in anger, and she grit her teeth before swearing under her breath and punching the ground. "Freaking PASS!" she shouted in frustration before grabbing the bottle in a vice and spinning it with all her might. The amount of force put into the bottle caused it to continue spinning for over minute before finally pointing towards Weiss.

"Truth." She requested as she casually crossed her arms. '_How bad could it b-'_

"Who was that doofy blue haired kid you were eating with on Tuesday?" Eyebrows raised in shock as the whole group locked their sights onto the ivory haired girl. Whispers began to fill the room as they awaited Weiss' expected rebuttal.

"She's so gonna pass." Sun said in a muffled tone to Ren. Weiss sat in wide eyed shock for a few more seconds, trying to compose herself. She finally did, closing her eyes and clearing her throat before letting out an annoyed sigh of defeat and standing up.

"His name is Neptune. I met him in one of my classes and sometimes we study together." she stated matter-of-factly as she crossed her arms. The group let out surprised gasp and smiled; Weiss seemed to have quite a bit of boy trouble, and they were relieved it wasn't getting her down.

"Awesome! Is he your boyfriend? What about that Zack guy!?" Nora asked, her eyes glowing and yearning for answers.

"ONE QUESTION ONLY!" Weiss huffed embarrassedly before sitting back down.

"Yes m-ma'am." Nora stammered. Weiss took her turn at spinning the bottle, having it land on none other but everyone's favorite monkey-faunus.

"Dare!" Sun exclaimed, "Give me your worst, snowflake!"

"Go run a naked lap around the building, monkey." Weiss ordered menacingly. She gave a slight smirk as she saw Sun's eye twitch. Everyone took notice of the dark look in Weiss' eyes, making a mental note that she could be quite the sadist.

"That's it!?" Sun yelled, surprising everyone else more, "I live for this shit!" Swiftly picking up his drink and downing it, the boy ripped off his clothes until he stood there in nothing but a yellow pair of boxer briefs.

"What is this, a guild for perverts?…" Ren whispered under his breath just loud enough to reach Blake and Jaune and make them chuckle at the reference. The rest of the girls in the room blushed at the sight, giggling at Sun's boldness while taking some mental pictures. Sun blinked a few times before looking down at the pink eyed boy beside him.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, REN?" Sun shouted before looking down at himself, "AND WHY AM I NAKED?"

"That drunk already buddy?" Jaune chuckled, "Go on, you have a lap to run."

"RIGHT!" The monkey-faunus yelled, fists raised, "I'm all FIRED UP!" In the blink of an eye he dashed out the door, only his tail briefly visible in the doorway before also disappearing.

"I am NOT missing this shit!" Yang laughed, grabbing her phone and sprinting after him. "Wait for me!"

"... Me neither." In a flash Weiss was suddenly gone as well, having also chased after the naked boy. The remaining five individuals kept their seats. It was silently but unanimously decided among them that the desire to chase after an almost naked Sun was nonexistent. Any humor would be lost by the sheer misery of having to run and exert themselves.

Sun finally returned, a bit winded but none the worse for wear. Once his clothes were back on, Sun tiredly spun the bottle before leaning his back against the couch to relax. He sprung up energetically once he watched the bottle land on Ren however.

"HA! PAYBACK FOR THE SNARKY COMMENT, BIIIIITCH!" Sun pointed victoriously at Ren, and his eyes flaring with ideas.

"Truth, Sun." Ren spoke monotonously, trying his best to hide any traces of fear. He knew he was much safer choosing truth since Sun wasn't the most clever of the bunch, but it was Sun's unpredictability that made Ren nervous.

"Who was your first, Ren!?" Sun asked, shocking not only the group but Ren especially, enough to utterly destroy his stoic composure. Everyone slowly looked at Nora, who quickly noticed the attention and waving her hands in front of her in protest.

"Whoa whoa, don't jump to conclusions here!" She said, nervously chuckling afterwards.

"She's right," Ren replied, sighing heavily before reluctantly finishing his statement, "I… don't have a first."

"So you're…" Jaune grinned wide in surprised amusement, "A virg-!"

"Yes, I am. Now shut up." Ren caught the glimpse of Jaune trying to stifle his tipsy laughter as he got quietly scolded by Pyrrha. He narrowed his eyes and spun the bottle, using just enough force for it to point towards his intended victim: Jaune.

Pyrrha got done scolding Jaune, leaving him to pout to himself. It took him almost 30 seconds to notice the bottle was pointing at him, as well as Ren's dark expression. The sinister aura coming from Ren told Jaune he was imminent danger. To choose dare, especially with his girlfriend sitting right next to him, would surely be the end of him. There was only one path to take, but that one wasn't much safer. Especially with the sly Lie Ren playing the part of executioner.

"Uh, truth…" Jaune said, his stomach dropping as Ren's smile grew.

"Who was _YOUR_ first, tough guy?" Jaune scoffed, amazed Ren had slipped up so badly with a repeat question. Right before he answered however, a sudden realization hit him. Ren's eyes flashed, and his grin widened even further. "You've finally realized, have you?" Jaune cursed Ren for his cleverness. It was a no win situation for him. Answering truthfully didn't embarrass him much, but with Pyrrha right there it would be beyond awkward to talk about other girls he'd "done the deed" with. If he chose to pass, it would only open him up for something worse down the road, or, god forbid, a shot of Dewbra. Pyrrha looked at Jaune, her spine tingling in nervous yet curious anticipation.

Jaune realized the best thing to do was to pass. There was no way he could answer a question like this in front of Pyrrha, even if skipping played right into Ren's devious hands. He was ready to speak the words, but before he could admit defeat he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Pyrrha's smiling face encouraging him not to give up.

"It's fine, Jaune. Really, it would just be a waste to use up your pass for this." She smiled at him, the warm gesture feeling oddly off to Jaune. "Besides, you skipping now would make it too easy to get you later." Across the circle, Ren's composure deteriorated as he vehemently protested Pyrrha's encouraging words.

"Are you kidding me!? No, use your pass, dumbass!" Ren yelled at Jaune, standing up. "Don't ruin this, Pyrrha! It was a well-calculated plan!" Nora grabbed a hold of Ren green shirt, tugging him abruptly back to the floor.

"Don't be such a drama queen, Renny! We'll get him next time." Ren opened his mouth to protest, but before he could utter a syllable Nora shot him a look that forced him to sit quietly in scared submission.

"Hurry up and answer already," Weiss groaned, "I'm getting too antsy to wait."

"Well, um, I guess if you want to know…" He hesitated again, giving Pyrrha one final chance to stop him, but her narrowed eyes told him to continue. In truth, she was fairly nervous about hearing the name, but after so much build up her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Unaware of her true sentiment, Jaune grit his teeth and prepared for the worst.

"This girl….Er…" He glanced at Pyrrha, who only tilted her head slightly, "Errrrr… Erza." Sun and Blake both smirked slightly at the sound of their high-school friend's name, and Pyrrha let loose a little sigh of disappointment that it had not been her name. To her left Yang had already begun scrolling furiously through her FaceNovel account on her phone searching for the mystery girl. After a couple of minutes and a bit of help from Sun she finally found what she was looking for.

"Erza Scarlet." Her brow furrowed and eyes went wide as she viewed the girl's profile. "Well… that's… huh. Sweet score, Jauney." Hearing Yang's reaction burned up Pyrrha inside, and despite herself she couldn't handle the tortuous suspense. Before she even knew what she was doing, Pyrrha leaped over and snatched the phone from Yang's hands. Her eyes went wide and her mouth slightly agape at the girls picture and profile. Soon enough all the girls, and Ren, sat behind her scrutinizing the screen; all wore the same deadpan expressions as their gaze went from the screen to Pyrrha and back again.

"She looks a lot like… you." Ren commented, looking over at Jaune curiously, "Doesn't she, Jaune?" Jaune simply shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"I don't see it." He insisted with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, she doesn't, Ren," Nora argued, "You idiot. Just because they both have bright red hair doesn't mean they look alike, racist."

"No, but…" Ren looked over Pyrrha's shoulder a little as she swiped through the pictures, "Yeah the hair, but the build, everything. She's even a fighter!" A picture came up of the girl and Jaune, laughing inside of what seemed to be their high school's mat room for fighters and wrestlers.

"Nah son, lemme tell you, her boobs were wayyyyy bigge-!" Sun attempted to announce drunkenly before receiving Jaune's fist in his stomach for his efforts. He laughed, the alcohol intoxication getting the better of him. "Maybe you should go ahead and let Pyrrha know allllll about your second, too!" Jaune's face reddened as Sun smugly continued. "I'm sure we'd all be veryyy interested to hear that one, eh?"

"You need to shut up, you dumb ass!" Jaune cried as he tackled Sun, "You've had so much alcohol the liquor is talking for you!"

"I AM THE LIQUOR!" Sun cackled maniacally as they tumbled backwards in a clumsy brawl.

"That's kinda weird." Yang muttered,choosing to ignore the two inebriated fools behind them. "Hey Pyr, don't you think so?" Pyrrha couldn't hear Yang's words, though. She was already lost in drunken contemplation.

'_Sure, Nora's right. She looks nothing like me!' _Pyrrha inspected more pictures, shooting a quick glance at Sun and Jaune still engaged in their scuffle. '_Alright, I guess... Sun... was right.'_ She took a minute more, a strange feeling going down her spine as she read the Scarlet girl's information.

'_An MMA fighter too?… red hair… pale skin… same height as me?... her eye's aren't green, so that's good, I guess… but she does somewhat strike a resemblance...' _Her eyes drifted back up towards Jaune, who was still waving his arms and yelling at Sun as they argued. '_Am I… a replacement? That bastard Ren. He's gonna die if the bottle lands on him. He will feel the wrath that is Pyrrha Nikos.'_

The night continued on, and gradually the situation began to settle down as they returned to their game. It only took another round and a half for everyone to use up their free passes, and by round four the entire crew had each taken at least one shot of fiery Dewbra. As the tasks became more and more intense, the night's shenanigans finally took their toll on the group. The boys left, leaving the girls to talk and gossip among themselves. Nora most always stayed over on Fridays, so the five casually took their typical spots to relax in while talking of the nights events.

"You alright Pyr?" Yang asked, putting her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Not to be rude or anything, but that was pretty stupid of you. To let Jaune answer that question, I mean."

"Why?" Pyrrha argued.

"Because no one wants to know that stuff," Yang answered, "You think I want to know about Sun's past?" Yang scoffed, "Not at all."

"Yeah, Pyrrha…" Nora added, her typical hyperactive expression gone, "we know it got to you."

"Why would it?" Pyrrha laughed at the thought of it all, "That was part of his past, it doesn't affect me in the slightest."

"Pyrrha, she looked A LOT like you," Weiss joined in, "The same hair. The same height, skin, build. A fighter! Don't you think that's kind of weird!?"

"I'll admit it is odd, but it's like Nora and Jaune said. She looks nothing like me." Pyrrha contended fiercely, pressuring Weiss back down. "Besides, he said she was nothing like me personality wise."

"He was lying." Blake drunkenly pronounced sternly, "She was just like you. Headstrong, tough, always had such a strong sense of friendship. You're definitely nicer… she had a bit of a temper, and a deeper voice, too. From what I know about you Pyrrha, you and her share more than what he's going to admit." Pyrrha's eyes flashed in sudden anger, and she glared at Blake. The feline faunus averted her gaze, curling up a bit tighter in apprehension.

"Sorry… ma'am." She apologized softly, regretting her words.

"I'm going to bed," Pyrrha looked away before standing up, "I need to rest for tomorrow. Goodnight." She clenched her fists and stormed off into her room, the unfortunate door feeling a fraction of her wrath as she slammed it shut.

"Well, you pissed her off Blake." Yang said in a hushed tone. She turned back to the rest of the girls, who were equally as concerned. "You don't think Jaune, you know... still has it hot for this Erza chick?"

"No way," Nora answered immediately, "there's no shot in hell."

"I don't think so, and I know her personally," Blake added, "He was the only guy to make her cry, ever. And man, did Jaune get a thrashing from her friends." She gave a long sigh, thinking of the past and everything that had happened. "She was the strongest girl at the school by far, she didn't take shit from anyone. And if you tried to mess with one of her friends you might as well kiss your own ass goodbye, because she was coming for you. But, I don't think Jaune even cared. He just avoided her, and she would try and try to be his friend. She never lost faith, but for some reason he did, and no one knows why, exactly." She drifted off for a moment, before furrowing her brow. "But Pyrrha's different. In the years Sun and I have known Jaune, he has never been so happy. His smile has never been so genuine… I don't think Pyrrha should be too worried he dated a girl with some similar physical features."

"Yeah… I guess you're right." Yang agreed, looking over at the door to her and Pyrrha's room with a worried expression. "Guess we should all get some sleep. Tomorrow is the big day, we need to be there for her." The girls all nodded and went their separate ways, each curling up under their sheets or blankets before drifting off to sleep.

Jaune stood outside the doorway shaking his head in frustration. He had intended to go back inside to wish Pyrrha a good night's sleep, but stopped when he heard Blake speak up. After hearing what she had to say, and Pyrrha's subsequent explosion, he knew it would only make things worse to go in now. He let out another heavy sigh, noting that it seemed he had been doing so a lot lately.

'_I did care, Blake, but it's what had to happen and was for the best. Don't worry, Pyr… You're nothing alike.'_

'_Erza Scarlet. Why is this getting to me? I figured he had done… that… with other girls before. So why is a name making me anxious?'_ No matter how hard she tried Pyrrha couldn't seem to shake the girl's name from her mind, and all the features they shared mocked her mentally. Questions raced through her head endlessly. Why was it that Jaune had all but completely erased their relationship, while she still held onto their memories? The sound of footsteps and the door creaking open interrupted her thoughts for a brief moment, but before Yang had fully slipped into her sheets they had returned. The idea that she was nothing more than a replacement for Jaune, a placeholder for this Erza, continued to root itself in her mind and establish itself as credible. To think she was nothing more than some twisted way to get back at this other girl, or worse just an avatar to fill her void made her stomach churn. A shiver went down her spine suddenly, and it was as if she could feel Jaune's presence with her. Snuggling into her pillow, she felt her fears melt away.

'_I believe in you, Jaune. No one else.'_

* * *

><p>"A… crowd?" Ren gasped, shocked to see dozens upon dozens of students waiting lined up outside the doors of the school's recreational facility. What struck him as the most peculiar aspect of the situation was that nearly 80% of them were not even sporting anything close to resembling athletic attire. As he watched the frenzied worker struggle to swipe in as many students as she possibly could, he noticed the majority of students held within their hands pink slips of paper. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, the picture suddenly becoming a whole lot clearer.<p>

"Nora…" he turned rapidly towards the girl who hid behind her foam finger that had '_Pyrrha is Best Girl_' written on it, "did you do this!?"

"No, what makes you say that?" Nora defended sweetly, batting her eyelashes as innocently as she could. Ren remained unfazed, however. After so many years with the girl, he had grown immune to the tactic. Looking to his right, he eyed another slip of bright pink paper. Without hesitation Ren calmly reached out and snatched the paper from the boy who held it, shooting him a glare to ward him off. He read the paper quickly before looking back at Nora.

"Why does that kid have a flyer advertising the fight?"

"What? There's a fight?" Nora asked, nervously laughing and trying to look away.

"And why does this paper say 'Made by Nora' at the bottom?"

"Nora is a popular name." Nora offered cheekily, giving Ren her biggest, brightest smile. When she noticed he wasn't going to fall for it, she pouted and crossed her arms. "What?" Nora began, "I thought this would be a great way to snag a few bucks offa people who believed we're actually charging!" Ren buried his face in his hands, amazed at how frequently his partner blurred the line between ingenuity and stupidity.

Meanwhile, the basement of the recreational center had already begun to fill up. Behind the octagon were bleachers, and though they were typically unused and tucked away into the wall they had been brought out and were now crowded with onlookers taking their seats. Bright lights shone down from their fixtures on the ceiling of the fighting arena, making for a dramatic stage. From across the facility Jaune could see that Nora had already set up shop in front of the bleachers, and that her efforts to sell her foam fingers as well as snacks were well underway and proving fruitful.

"Jeez, she'd do anything for a quick buck." He said to himself, "Where does she even get that stuff?" He turned to join Sun and Yang in front of the locker room at the other end of the gym to await Pyrrha's emergence. It didn't take long for the iron doors to part and reveal the red headed fighter clad in her black sports top and shorts, both sporting her signature crimson spear and shield emblem. Milo and Akouo were already wrapped tightly around her fists, and she tapped them together in anticipation. Jaune had always thought she looked beautifully intense and strong before fights, but the fierce look in her emerald eyes sent a shiver down his spine; if he hadn't already, he would've surely fallen for her in that moment without question.

"You ready?" Yang asked sternly, more of a statement than a question. Her tone made Sun raise an eyebrow in surprise. Unlike Jaune, he wasn't too accustomed to seeing the serious persona Yang took on when it was time for a fight. Pyrrha acknowledged Yang's question with a curt nod, turning to look at all three of their faces before flashing a grin.

"This should be fun." She said in a low tone, giving a single chuckle afterwards while she rolled her shoulders. Jaune grinned nervously; he'd never felt both so scared and turned on in his life. Pyrrha began to walk past them, her determination to beat Cinder setting in. She knew she couldn't go full force; her honor as a fighter wouldn't allow it. That being said, she wasn't going to hold much back either. Cinder agreed to fight, it wouldn't be Pyrrha's fault if she got hurt. Headstrong, she took small steps through the dim basement and slowly closed the distance to the octagon.

"_Good luck, Erza!"_ Pyrrha turned her head at the sound of Jaune's voice, the fire from last night flaring viciously in her belly. After all that happened in her head, he had the audacity to mess up and call her the wrong name, and THAT name of all names! She wasn't sure she would make it to Cinder before she beat down Jaune first. The flames were soon extinguished, however, as she looked back to see him conversing with Sun and Yang, his back to her. She couldn't even begin to hear their voices over the roar of the crowd.

'_It was… my imagination?' _Pyrrha's lips parted slightly as she let out an annoyed breath. '_I wonder if I'll ever meet her.'_ The crimson haired girl turned to continue towards the ring, glad she only had one person to beat to a pulp after all.

* * *

><p>Blake spectated from the stands, scrutinizing the two fighters closely as they sized each other up in the ring. Sun, Adam, and the rest of the group did the same right along side her. Pyrrha had the height advantage by a decent amount, but if Cinder was intimidated she sure wasn't showing any signs of it. In fact, she was smiling. Her strange behavior caused a shudder to travel down Blake's spine, catching Adam's attention.<p>

"What's up?" He asked, his face still adorned by his trademark shades despite being inside the mostly dark basement arena.

"Something's not right," Blake answered, putting a finger to her lips nervously, "She's not a fighter. As far as I know she's never trained before, and it's not like anything she did in a week would make much of a difference against a seasoned fighter like Pyrrha. So why? Why is she so smug if she knows Pyrrha could annihilate her with ease?"

"She might be high?" Sun suggested offhandedly. Blake looked over at Sun and frowned. "What, just a guess…" Blake shook off Sun's comment and continued to study Cinder.

'_Something just isn't right.'_

* * *

><p>Jaune pushed the two girls apart and towards their respective sides of the ring, deciding they had enough time to size each other up. Yang whispered into Pyrrha's ear on one side, while Cinder was coached by a tan, green haired girl he had never really seen before. Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, still wondering how he possibly allowed himself to be roped into officiating this match. Unfortunately for him, the only people who really knew how to officiate an MMA style match was himself and Yang. With Yang too busy being Pyrrha's coach, that left only one other candidate.<p>

'_Well, I suppose it can't be helped,' _ Jaune thought to himself. '_This is gonna be interesting, to say the least.' _He looked over at Pyrrha to make sure she was all set to begin, and she met his eyes before giving him a determined nod. Jaune then moved his sights to Cinder to confirm the same. She gave him a slow nod, winking seductively at him afterwards. Jaune let out an exasperated sigh before raising his hand high above his head. As the roar of the crowd grew, he took one last look at both fighters before bringing his hand down swiftly and giving a single resonating shout.

"Begin!"

Raring to go, Pyrrha wasted no time and immediately launched herself across the ring to meet Cinder. Almost as if she knew exactly how Pyrrha would act, Cinder simply smiled before lowering her stance in preparation. Pushing off her right foot, Pyrrha threw the first punch with enough force to end the fight instantly were it to land. To Pyrrha's amazement the raven haired girl easily dodged her right hook, ending up a few meters away with the same smug grin on her face.

"_What_?" Pyrrha swore under her breath, the crowd going insane as they tried to comprehend what they just witnessed. Enraged at both Cinder and herself, Pyrrha let loose a roar as she charged again: a left hook, a right jab, a low kick to the thigh, high kick to the head, right uppercut. Pyrrha unleashed a forceful lightning fast volley of blows at Cinder as the two danced across the white mat. Unbelievably, the orange eyed girl managed to dodge or deflect every single one of Pyrrha's attacks. Somehow Cinder was using Pyrrha's own force and momentum against her, and because of it not one of Pyrrha's punches connected significantly. While the kicks were connecting, Cinder's usage of her forearms as deflective countermeasures to lessen the connective force made it so they weren't doing much. The two girls parted slightly, taking deep breaths while eyeing each other. Cinder rolled her shoulders, flashing a smile at Pyrrha.

"What is it, Nikos?" She mocked haughtily, "Am I making this difficult?"

"Yes, actually." Pyrrha replied bluntly, her eyes sharp and unforgiving. "Now stand still." Pyrrha launched off of her right foot once more, cocking back her fist while visualizing taking the black haired girls head clean off. Pyrrha's frustration grew as she watched her punch miss once again, managing to only graze a few loose strands of hair.

'_Why can't I hit her!?'_ Pyrrha scolded herself internally. Cinder had yet to even try to strike back, and Pyrrha suspected she probably wouldn't attempt to until Pyrrha had completely tired herself out.

"So, you wanna play it like that?" Pyrrha asked, shrugging her shoulders before getting back into her stance. "Alright. Your move." The two girls began to walk circles around the ring, their eyes locked intensely. The grin on Cinder's face grew even more as she turned her head to Jaune, being sure to keep eye contact with Pyrrha however.

"So, Jaune, when am I meeting your parents?" A surge of anger suddenly overcame Pyrrha. She always knew how to keep her cool, but for some reason this one act had made her blood boil. How dare her opponent talk to her boyfriend in such a manner! Jaune didn't reply; Pyrrha could see he was paying her no mind.

"Do you really think Miss Champion over here is going to stay with you?" Cinder raised her arms and shrugged, all while still performing her circle dance with Pyrrha, "I doubt it!"

"Shut up!" Pyrrha shouted; she had enough. She sprinted forward with incredible speed, launching her left fist low and forward. Pyrrha reveled in the feeling as her punch connect solidly with Cinders abdomen. The blow sent Cinder sailing backwards a few meters to her hands and knees. Rather than promptly following up her punch with another attack Pyrrha allowed herself to enjoy the moment as the crowd cheered, and she grinned as she listened to the raven haired girl cough and suck air desperately on the floor.

"Nice one," Cinder choked angrily, trying desperately to maintain her composure "Won't happen again." The lights overhead reflected off her orange eyes making them glow, the effect only intensifying her glare. Pyrrha readied her defenses, certain Cinder was now angry enough to begin attacking her. However, the minute Cinder returned to her feet the stalemate continued as the two girls continued circling each other, Cinder only rarely daring to let loose a blow or two in between avoiding Pyrrha's advances. It was obvious from her pathetic attacks the girl knew little about offensive strategies, and relied mostly on her perception and speed to survive Pyrrha's onslaught. It became more and more apparent that it wasn't two girls circling each other; it was one stalking the other like a predator with its prey.

* * *

><p>"Huh… so that's it." Ren concluded, crossing his arms.<p>

"What's up?" Nora asked, turning her head only slightly toward Ren but never allowing her eyes to leave the fight.

"I thought her fighting style looked familiar. Cinder must have trained with someone who knew Vacuo-style martial arts. Her movements and the way she deflects Pyrrha's blows match it almost perfectly." Ren scratched his chin for a moment. "It's strange, though. The greatest strength of Vacuo-style is its innate ability to turn its opponent's movements against them dramatically using reflection technique, but it looks like Cinder is strictly using deflection. The week she had must not have been enough for her to get to that level, so offensively she's useless." The rest of his friends looked to him for a moment before looking back at the octagon.

"So, what? This thing's gonna end up being a stalemate?" Sun asked, his head hanging low. "We waited all this time for a lousy stalemate?"

"We didn't wait that long." Blake reminded, giving Sun a shake of her head.

"It was like a year."

"Or a week."

"I don't think we're going to have a stalemate, guys!" Nora exclaimed, making everyone look back to the ring. Ren smiled slightly at the sight.

"It's as I thought. She may have been able to learn a great deal in that week of training, but no matter how hard she trained a week is still only a week. Against Pyrrha there was no way she could keep her defenses up for long."

* * *

><p>Pyrrha had finally broken through Cinder's defenses and slipped in close before grabbing the girl and slamming her to the ground. Pyrrha sat on top of Cinders stomach, unleashing three punches to her face before Jaune pulled her off. With the matches standing as unofficial and Cinder being an amatuer, there was no way he could allow Pyrrha to have her way - even if Cinder brought it upon herself. Using a few tests before asking if Cinder still wanted to fight, the blonde allowed the girl to continue. As they circled anew, the eerie smile Cinder now wore instilled a sense of foreboding in Pyrrha. No one in their right mind would have such a look after that.<p>

"Jaune, do you really think she means it when she says she loves you?" Cinder asked, still receiving no response from the blonde.

"Enough!" Pyrrha cried with another attack, failing to land any solid hits as Cinder barely managed to deflect her. The inexperienced girl's strength was waning fast, and Pyrrha definitely felt it.

"She's only going to leave. You're nothing but a stepping stool for her until someone better comes along!"

"I said that's enough!" Pyrrha closed the gap in two long strides, breaking through Cinder's now feeble attempt at defense and slamming her fist into Cinder's left shoulder. Cinder backed away as quick as she could, trying to get some distance from Pyrrha. Although she winced in pain, her smile said she was far from defeated.

"She just likes the idea of you. She'll ditch you for the next hotshot that comes her way." Cinder continued between ragged breaths. She tensed herself, just barely managing to avoid another one of Pyrrha's kicks. The redhead sailed forward past her in anger fueled momentum. She wanted nothing more than to shut Cinder up. "She's going to leave."

Cinder saw Jaune's eyes widen ever so slightly, and by his reaction knew her words had finally effected him. They didn't impact him in the way she intended, but rather revived painful long-forgotten memories; memories of an instance he had heard those exact same words.

* * *

><p><em>Twelve years prior...<em>

'_She's going to leave.'_ His father said. A much younger Jaune froze in front of his father's door, forgetting all about the question he wanted to ask him. He knelt down, struggling to try make out what his father's muffled voice was saying in the next room. '_I don't know when, but I can't tell the kid. He'd lose his mind.'_ Jaune's eyes welled up a little as he shook his head. What did his father mean? Was it true?

'_Is that why mommy isn't home yet?' _The younger Jaune thought, rubbing his eyes and sniffling quietly. He wiped his nose and brought his ear back to the doorway, seeing if he could hear anything else.

'_He'll be better off without her, anyway. It's for the best. She's probably halfway to Midgar at this point, but I won't tell him a thing.'_

* * *

><p>Cinder's eyes flashed as she studied his reaction quickly. It was better than she could have hoped; she saw the expression he made, his fists clench slightly, his attention from the fight at hand dissolving. Though she couldn't quite make out what caused him to behave like this, she decided it was worth the gamble. If she was right about this, the fight was hers. After narrowly avoiding Pyrrha one last time, she caught her breath and prepared for her finishing blow.<p>

"Just like your... mother did..." Cinder enunciated all the right syllables, maximizing the sentences effectiveness and speaking just loud enough for only the three of them to hear. Jaune's expression darkened as a lump formed in his throat, and Pyrrha grit her teeth in rage as she watched his heart sink. Pyrrha turned on Cinder ready to unleash hell, but before she reached her Cinder raised both her hands above her head and spoke."You think she could love you when your own mother couldn't? Not her. Not the celebrity fighter who has it all. Her type is too selfish for that." Cinder made sure to keep her voice lower than the crowd's confused murmurs to keep the conversation between them, and softened her expression as she looked at Jaune. "You deserve better. I would love you for who you are, and like no other." She straightened her stance until she stood fully upright, glancing once more at Jaune before facing the crowd. The entire room gasped in utter shock at what she announced next.

"I forfeit." she declared victoriously.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Follow me, to a place where we can be. Free from all external things. Keeping you away from me. Take my hand, don't be scared, there is no plan. Just the moments that we have. Nothing is the same without you around."<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, this is the beginning of the end. This is the final stretch for Beacon University. "But ReasonableName, how many chapters does that mean?" About 4-5 more. This doesn't eliminate the possibility of any additional story arcs entirely, but it is a bit more likely we will be creating a new story if anything.**

**We're really, REALLY going to strive for quality here, so please don't be worried if we take a while. It WILL get done. **

**Also, PLEASE REVIEW! Those things are essentially our motivation. Sure, numbers of follows and favs are nice to look at, but we would love some constructive reviews from you guys so we can improve! **

**The next chapter should be quite interesting as well, so stay tuned!**

** -RN**


	18. Lost My Pieces

**A/N: This chapter's long. Have fun.**

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>And it is the providence of nature that only the strong survive. That's why I needed strength."<strong>_

* * *

><p>Silence swept across the entire basement in a swift, dramatic wave. Jaune and Pyrrha stood in stunned paralysis at the sight of Cinder's raised hands. Her posture was one of defeat, but the devilish look in her fiery eyes told a much different story. Cinder lowered her hands, lingering a moment longer to steal another look at Jaune before wiping her mouth and swiftly turning on her heels to head for the ring exit. On her way out, Cinder made sure to flash a smirk at Pyrrha as she passed; the red head glared back and clenched her fists. Pyrrha knew she couldn't hit her now that the match was over, knowing the black haired girl knew as much. Cinder met up with her green haired friend and a new face, a male with in mercury colored hair, outside the octagon, not even sparing another look back as she left the basement.<p>

Jaune suddenly came to his senses, shaking his head to clear the fog. He looked at Pyrrha as she glared angrily towards the doors Cinder had just exited through. Smiling at how fiercely cute his girlfriend was when she was being protective of him, Jaune walked over to her, grabbing her wrist and raising it up high. The sudden action jolted Pyrrha out of her trance, and she looked over at her now smiling boyfriend.

"Winner! The lovely Pyrrha Nikos!" Jaune's booming voice echoed outwards, transforming the quiet spectators into a roaring mass of cheering and applause. Naturally, it was their friends who cheered the loudest. Blake and Adam both stood waving their hands as they cheered, each sporting two of Nora's foam fingers. Nora sat atop Ren's shoulders whilst throwing popcorn in the air like confetti, and Sun spun Weiss around after embracing her in a gleeful bear hug; more than a few unfortunate spectators around them were whacked by her swinging boots.

Pyrrha looked out at the crowd, a small grin growing on her face. The match may have been unofficial and not very physically taxing, but victory, no matter how small, always tasted sweet. She attempted a bow, but before she could she felt strong arms grab her by the waist. Pyrrha giggled as Jaune pulled her in close, his lips meeting hers. For her, his unexpected and rather public display of affection was an even bigger win than the match itself. The two lovers parted after a few moments more, coming back together as they rested their foreheads against each other intimately amongst the roar of the crowd.

"So..." Jaune began as he looked into Pyrrha's sparkling eyes, "How does it feel to be best girl?" His outstretched arm motioned over towards the area in the stand in which their friends stood, and they turned to face them. Yang had run up and now joined the group, forcing a startled Weiss onto her shoulders for comedic effect. Their rambunctious antics vastly outshone the rest of the spectators, and the reactions they received made both Jaune and Pyrrha to burst into laughter.

"It's marvelous!" She replied happily, jumping towards Jaune and embracing him again. She gave him an affectionate squeeze before holding him out at arm's length, her demeanor instantly changing from loving to concerned. Jaune noted the sudden change in her eyes, and his eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Are you okay?" she whispered somewhat worriedly, loud enough for only him to hear. Jaune's face scrunched in amusement.

"C'mon, 'The Flaming Pyrrha.' You know me better than that. Why wouldn't I be?" Jaune replied, smiling as he brushed a few crimson strands of hair from Pyrrha's pouting face before locking his hands gently around the back of her neck.

"I'm being serious!" Pyrrha scolded in mock anger, throwing a playful punch at his shoulder, "What does that even mean? The Flaming?"

"Well seeing as how you're not 'weeaboo trash' like I am, as Sun so lovingly puts it, I guess you wouldn't know what that means." Jaune waggled his finger at Pyrrha with a grin, "That's not very sugoi of you." Pyrrha frowned at Jaune.

"I'm over here worried that dastardly woman may have gotten to you, and all you do is talk nonsense!" Jaune laughed, bringing his hands close to his face and wiggling his fingers for effect.

"Ooooohh! Dastardly, huh?" the blonde marveled mockingly, "I didn't realize I needed to bring a dictionary to this bitch!" Pyrrha's face reddened in embarrassment, and she gave the boy light shove.

"That's the last straw, Arc! You're so dead."

Jaune and Pyrrha's amusing scuffle riled up the onlooking crowd, and it wasn't long before they began chanting the word "fight" over and over. The couple looked over to their friends, only to find them chanting as well; Jaune was sure that, by the look on her face, it had been Nora who had started the chant in the first place. Pyrrha sighed in mock annoyance, smiling before turning and placing her hand softly on the side of Jaune's face.

"You're sure she didn't get to you? If she did, I'll hunt her down you know. Rules and matches be damned." Jaune merely chucked, reaching up and touching her hand in reassurance.

"Yeah I'm fine. Besides, we're fresh out of both Batman and Daredevil costumes, so your 'street justice' probably isn't the greatest idea. I don't think you can 'be the night.'"

"I'm being serious, you know!" Pyrrha scolded, trying to remain serious. She failed miserably as Jaune suddenly attacked, arms outstretched while he attempted to tickle her sides.

"So am I!" The boy laughed, watching the redhead hop and stumble around the octagon to avoid him. "So..." He said as he raised his hands to wiggle his fingers menacingly, "Are we gonna give these people what they want or what?"

"Stop, Jaune!" She managed to gasp between fits of laughter, suddenly leaping away from him and landing in a poised fighting stance. Pyrrha calmed her elevated heart rate, her joyful laughing expression now replaced by one of sheer determination. Jaune stopped in his tracks, his face going blank as he observed her altered body language.

"Ah, shit." Jaune cursed, realizing the roles of hunter and hunted had reversed. He shot the ring exit a quick glance, knowing he wouldn't have another chance to escape. In an instant the blonde broke into a full sprint, diving for the exit in desperation but slamming onto the mat a full meter away. His arms and legs flailed as he furiously tried to claw and scramble his way to the exit. Jaune went rigid as he felt a strong vice wrap around his ankle, knowing full well his fate was now sealed.

"No one tickles me and lives to tell the tale, Arc." Pyrrha threatened in as cold a tone as she could muster. The crowd went wild, loving every moment. "I didn't get to go full force with Cinder, but with you…" Jaune began to feel himself slide across the mat, the exit slowly becoming out of reach. He let himself be dragged, a perplexed look on his face.

'_Now, how did I miss the exit that terribly?' _he pondered, bringing one hand to his head and scratching it, '_I mean, I did jump a bit early. Wait, why did I even jump in the first place? That was really dumb.'_ Before he knew it his momentum had stopped, and he lay on his belly in the center of the ring. Although he couldn't see Pyrrha, her long shadow cast over him from behind.

"Any last words, my little Jaune?" Pyrrha asked haughtily as looked down on him, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Pyrrha," Jaune began in a cautionary tone, rolling over lazily to his back to look at her, "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerfu- ACHK!" Jaune's quote was cut short by Pyrrha as she forcefully pounced on him. With lightning speed she flipped the boy back over, and, facing his feet, grabbed his legs and stood upwards. This made Jaune's body resemble that of a scorpion as his face and chest pressed into the mat painfully.

"A BOSTON CRAB HOLD? SERIOUSLY? I GIVE, I GIVE!" Jaune yelped, slapping the mat and grunting in pain as Pyrrha leaned back to put more pressure on the hold, "GET OFF ME YOU CRAZ-"

"Go ahead, finish that sentence." Pyrrha dared, torquing the hold even further.

"Please let me go, my beautiful- _OW!_, incomparable, warrior-princess girlfriend who is infinitely perfect and whom I adore so much!" Pyrrha frowned skeptically, squinting her eyes in suspicion. After keeping Jaune locked in the hold a few seconds longer, she giggled and released him. Jaune sighed in relief as the pressure on his spine alleviated, and he took a moment to rub his back before getting to his feet. "You win..." He admitted, surrendering with his hands slightly raised as he walked over to bring Pyrrha into a hug. A conniving grin suddenly spread across Jaune's face as his hands slowly crept up her sides. "More tickles!" He cried, but before Jaune could execute his sneak attack Pyrrha launched a kick into his ribs and sent him soaring across the ring.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha shouted apologetically, trying to stifle her laughter, "It was on instinct!"

"Yeah," Jaune heaved, his voice raspy and low, "That's what they all say." The crowd cheered and broke into another round of applause, marking the end of the couple's impromptu match. Pyrrha reached out to grab Jaune's hand, helping him up. Jaune once again led her to the center of the mat, raising her hand and giving her a kiss on the cheek. As he lowered Pyrrha's arm, Jaune rubbed his side and looked over at her.

"You're paying for my ribs." He groaned.

"I'll be sure to tonight." Pyrrha retorted invitingly. She brought Jaune close, wrapping one arm around his waist.

"O-oh, I didn't know you were a … rib… doctor..."

"I'm not." She countered slyly, giving him a mildly seductive smile. Jaune tried his best not to laugh as he shook his head in amusement.

"Then what are you going to do? Fix them with more kicks?"

"That wasn't what I had planned, so I'll do that only if you're bad." Pyrrha gave Jaune a wink, making Jaune pause for a minute.

"... I don't like your kicks. They make me sad." Jaune forced his lips out and pouted, making his face squish up as much as he could. Pyrrha raised an eyebrow and gave him a slanted smile, narrowing her eyes seductively.

"By the way," Pyrrha spoke with her head tilted, "The winner of the match usually gets a reward, no? That's what I've heard. So, considering your obvious need for some tender love and care, I think I've got just the thing!" Pyrrha grinned as she leaned in close to the boy, cupping her hand around her mouth as she whispered into Jaune's ear. As she spoke Jaune's face flushed bright red, and his expression took on a look of embarrassed shock.

"Oh look. Our f-friends are c-...c-oming." Jaune stammered, trying to flee the situation and distract himself from Pyrrha's words; he'd have never imagined Pyrrha could speak so graphically lewd. Pyrrha shot him a wink, allowing him to escape for now. As Jaune and Pyrrha met up with the others many excited congratulations went around. In Jaune's case, the greeting was mostly rough pats on his still pulsing ribs.

* * *

><p>The group had decided to go to dinner at a quaint little Mistralian restaurant down the road from Beacon University to celebrate Pyrrha's dual victories. Jaune thought it was a perfect choice, figuring Pyrrha deserved a taste of her home country that wasn't a product of his meager attempts at cooking and baking. The restaurant itself specialized in family-style dishes made to be shared, so everyone took a bit of time to discuss what dishes would be best. Once they had placed their carefully selected orders, the group relaxed and chat among themselves of the day's events while sipping on their drinks. When the food finally came out, it was everything Pyrrha had promised them and then some; massive platters filled with spiced cutlets of meat, sauteed green vegetables in fine oils and wines, little round potatoes drenched in spicy garlic sauce, and more. Thanks to Adam, they were even able to get a bottle of Mistral's famous red wine. The delectable spread gave off an irresistible aroma, and the nine wasted no time in collecting food from every dish and piling it high on their plates. The chatter was soon replaced by silence and eager munching, broken every now and then by full mouths praising the food.<p>

Bite by bite the food gradually disappeared, and after 30 minutes the clattering of forks on plates and sighs of satisfaction marked the meal's end. As they leaned back in their seats, the group of friends began their conversations anew.

"So, are you guys excited for the cultural festival coming up?" Weiss asked, politely folding her napkin back up and placing it before her.

"Wait, what cultural festival?" Sun asked, frowning slightly as the rest of them stared at him blankly. "What?"

"You know, Sun. _The_ cultural festival. The one Beacon does every year?" Blake answered, rolling her eyes, "It's only one of Beacon's biggest events. Schools from all over come visit."

"I also heard it's such a big deal that almost all of the nearby hotels get booked weeks in advance," Yang added, cracking her knuckles, "Bet they wish they got into Beacon!"

"Ren and I are gonna wear matching outfits!" Nora announced excitedly, hugging the boy's arm, "Is anyone else gonna dress up?"

"I think Sun and I will!" Yang declared, "I'll wear a cat costume!" The guys at the table all cleared their throats and looked away, trying to shake the image from their minds before it caused too much trouble. As talk of the festival continued Jaune found the voices around him slowly fade out as he began the play absentmindedly with a small potato on his plate; he rolled it around with his fork as he mentally replayed what had happened earlier. One moment stuck out in particular, and it was the one that was the most bothersome.

'_She's going to leave...'_

He could hear Cinder's voice clearly in his head; her cold foreboding tone sent a tingle down his spine.

'_She only likes the idea of you...'_

Jaune stabbed at the food, his brow furrowing as he watched the potato seemingly dodge his attack.

'_She's going to leave… like your mother.'_

The sensation of a gentle hand resting on his shoulder snapped him out of his mind and back to reality. Jaune dropped his fork in surprise, looking to his right and directly into a pair of worried viridescent eyes.

"Say, Jaune," Ren said from across the table, getting the attention of the both the blonde boy and the redhead next to him, "What happened down in the ring? What was it Cinder muttered before her forfeit?" The question surprised Jaune a bit. He had hoped no one else had noticed the interaction between them, and had failed to prepare an excuse should anyone bother to ask about it.

"Oh, nothing important," Jaune answered somewhat hastily, trying his best to remain poised as he searched his mind for a good lie. He didn't want anyone knowing what had really gone down, lest he cause unnecessary worry or someone to take action on his behalf. "It was something about her being embarrassed and ashamed to have lost or something like that... I think." Ren glared suspiciously at Jaune for a brief second before shrugging his shoulders in indifference.

"She'd better be embarrassed," Adam added boisterously, "She thought she was so high and mighty, but she got her ass handed to her!" The entire table cheered in unison, clinking their glasses together before continuing their talk. As they discussed how one-sided the fight was Jaune rested his chin on one of his palms, beginning to zone out yet again. He snapped himself out of it quickly, though, knowing Pyrrha was watching him now for sure. The boy confirmed his suspicions as he looked over at her curious expression directed at him. Jaune's smile grew at the sight of her. He suddenly faked a yawn, stretching his arms high above him before bringing one down to drape it around her shoulders. Pyrrha giggled softly and placed a hand on his chest as she leaned her head on him. Jaune looked down at her, thinking to himself how lucky he was to have her. If Pyrrha really did leave, he wasn't sure how he'd be able to deal with it. Shaking the seemingly ridiculous notion from his mind once again, Jaune flashed his cheesiest grin at her.

"How smooth was that on a scale of 1-10?" Jaune asked, prompting Pyrrha to cover her mouth as she laughed. She placed a finger on her lips and squinted her eyes, pretending to mull over the question intensely before answering.

"About a 3."

"Naillllled it." Pyrrha beamed, glad he seemed to be mostly okay for the moment. She let herself melt into his form some more, focusing on the pleasant heat of his body. Pyrrha could sense that there was something bothering Jaune, but despite having a good inclination at what it was her intuition told her it was best to leave it alone for now. There was something nagging at her as well, but after such a long, stressful day and a delicious meal with friends she just wanted to enjoy his warm embrace; there was no need to drudge up such unpleasantness now. With full stomachs and a grand festival to look forward to, it didn't take much longer for the group of friends to pay their bill and leave, using Ren and Nora's "foam finger fund." They set off back towards campus and their dorms. Hand in hand, Pyrrha leaned into Jaune closely as they walked.

"You make me happy." She said, letting her thumb slide across his tenderly. Jaune, a bit red in the face, smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"You're the best, Pyrrha." Pyrrha chuckled a little as they continued to walk, letting the chatter of the rest of the group drown out their thoughts.

* * *

><p>"Jaune?"<p>

It had been almost five days since the fight, and for the most part life was back to it's regular routine. Jaune and Pyrrha had finished their lifting and training and had returned to Pyrrha's quad to change their clothes before meeting everyone else in the dining hall. Although Jaune had already packed an extra outfit and could have simply swapped clothing back at the locker room, Pyrrha had convinced him to accompany her back.

The room was devoid of life, and it seemed everyone was already gone and on their way to eat. The sun hung low in the sky, and minuscule particles of dust floated daintily through the orange beams of light that shone through the windows. Jaune planted himself onto the back end of one of the couches, facing the window with his hands in his pockets. He stared blankly at the dust as it drifted through the air.

"Jaaaaune? Is something wrong?" The sound of Pyrrha's clear voice cut through the murkiness of his clouded mind, and he looked up with an awkward smile. He had been trying so hard to keep himself composed and focused, especially around Pyrrha, and cursed himself for slipping up. Embarrassedly he ran his fingers through his hair, clearing his throat before giving Pyrrha a thumbs up.

"N-No! Nothing at all," he maintained, giving her a few rounds of nervous laughter. Upon opening his eyes, he could see the slanted smile she was giving him.

"Well, alright. You do know you can talk to me if something is wrong," she reminded in a comforting tone. Pyrrha paused a moment, her expression turning a bit melancholy. She inhaled deeply, trying to muster up her courage. "Is it alright if I ask you something?" Jaune sat up straight and curiously looked at Pyrrha, intrigued by her sudden request.

"Sure, anything." Jaune replied.

"Well, I, um…" Pyrrha looked away, rubbing her arm anxiously. Her voice trembled a bit, surprising Jaune. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen her so flustered.

"Yeah? What is it?" Jaune asked again, pushing himself off the couch and pivoting his feet to face Pyrrha directly. For her to act so strangely only meant one thing: this was not a run-of-the-mill question she wanted to ask of him. His anticipation grew, as did his anxiety.

"I just wanted… to know…" Pyrrha stammered weakly, struggling to find the words. She hadn't wanted to do this so soon, but the paranoia and stress of keeping it in was too much for her to bear. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes, steeling herself to go through with what she started. "Do you still … talk to … Erza?" She hadn't managed to ask exactly what she wanted to, but it was close enough to give her some satisfaction once answered. The air went still and the room became deathly quiet as her question echoed and faded. Jaune gazed at Pyrrha in shock as she stood there motionless, her eyes still shut and head turned away.

After all the recent events Pyrrha couldn't help but constantly think of Jaune's past. Pyrrha knew it was childish and immature to dwell on such things, but Blake's words still haunted her. Her paranoia festered and grew, keeping her up at night staring at her hair. She wondering if its scarlet color was the only reason Jaune had noticed her at all, and if he only bothered to stay because she shared so many similarities with this 'Erza' person. Pyrrha just needed an answer to help rid herself of all the malicious thoughts. Realizing she had not provided any context to her question, she turned away shamefully.

"I-It's just that Blake said-"

"No."

The sharp tone of Jaune's voice made Pyrrha's eyes shoot open. She looked over at him, her mouth slightly agape at the curt response. It wasn't like Jaune to so brusquely brush off a question. This time Jaune was the one who turned away, pointing his face towards the window. The now almost crimson light reflected off of Jaune's form dramatically. Pyrrha straightened her posture, clasping her hands together meekly.

"I don't talk to her. What a silly question." Although he'd done his best to deliver it lightheartedly, his follow up response still sliced its way through the air. Jaune continued to focus his gaze outside, all the while keeping his back to Pyrrha. Pyrrha's shoulders dipped slightly, and she looked down at her hands.

'_How could I be so selfish, asking that? I don't even know the story between them...' _She thought, looking back up at Jaune, who motionlessly persisted to stare out the window.

"Well, what happened between you two?" Jaune's body visibly tensed at her question, and Pyrrha instantly regretted her words. Jaune took a moment to relax, rubbing his fingers together before answering her.

"It just didn't work out." Pyrrha was saddened at the vagueness of yet another blunt answer, but what worried her more was how cold he sounded when he gave it; It was not the Jaune she was used to. Despite knowing she was courting a delicate line, she needed to know more and persisted.

"Why not?"

"Why do you want to know!?" Jaune snapped loudly, foolishly letting his emotions get the better of him as he turned towards her with an angry scowl and clenched fists. "It ended because it didn't work out! We split up! What more do you want!?" His abrupt explosion made Pyrrha take a frightened step back, unsure of how to react.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know this was such a sore subject." She whimpered, her eyes welling a bit as she cursed herself for pushing it so far. Jaune's anger dissipated immediately at the sight of her tears. He couldn't bear to see her so upset, and hated himself for being the one to make her feel that way.

"Don't apologize," Jaune said, his voice low and somewhat dejected. Pyrrha looked up at him cautiously, and he forced as big a grin as he could muster. "I should be the one doing that. That wasn't right of me. I'm sorry." The room fell silent again, and Jaune hesitated before making his way over to Pyrrha. She eyed him sympathetically, feeling his immense pain. Jaune couldn't meet her gaze, ashamed at his behavior, but Pyrrha knew he meant nothing by it. Pyrrha reached up, snaking her arms around his body before pulling him into a hug. She buried her face in Jaune's neck, squeezing him tightly and trying her best to comfort him.

"Look, I'm sorry." Jaune whispered, clutching Pyrrha desperately. "I've just been having…" he paused for a moment, stopping himself from elaborating further, "... I never want you to see me this way." Pyrrha smiled to herself, rubbing his back to console him.

"It's okay, Jaune. I shouldn't have pushed you so far. It was selfish of me."

"No, you deserve answers. So, I'll give them to you, no matter how I feel. Erza and I, we..." Pyrrha placed her fingers on Jaune's lips, stopping him.

"Don't worry about it. You can tell me when you're ready." Jaune chuckled, placing his hand behind Pyrrha's head and snaking his fingers through her hair.

"Let me give you this much, though. What happened between us… our relationship? I was the one who ended it." Pyrrha took some solace in his words, reveling in his embrace.

"So," Jaune began, "Anything else you'd like to ask of me? I think I owe it to you for being such a drama queen and snapping at you." Pyrrha laughed, hitting him softly on the chest.

"Yes, I guess you do, huh?" Pyrrha was ready to decline his offer and insist they rush over to the dining hall, but right before the words left her mouth a question popped into her mind. She played with it for a bit, then decided to ask.

"Do you think you'll ever see her again?" Pyrrha kicked the floor with her toes, embarrassed to have shown Jaune she was even thinking about these things.

"I don't think so," Jaune replied nonchalantly, "I mean, we were friends, but I haven't heard from her since the summer before my senior year." He shrugged with his eyes closed, shaking his head. Jaune then turned his face from her, grinning sideways at Pyrrha with one eye open, "So, stop worrying about her trying to steal me away or something and get changed. I'm starving." Pyrrha's cheeks immediately reddened up and shook her head furiously.

"I-I was not thinking that!" she stammered loudly, "Don't jump to conclusions here! I was just interested about your past!"

"Suuuure," Jaune teased, "Cinder and Erza are probably together scheming another fight right now. They probably met through my fan club." Jaune gazed at the ceiling, a pondering finger on his chin, "I wonder if I can be a member of my own fan club." He felt a pillow suddenly slam forcefully into his face, the soft weapon knocking him backwards onto the couch with a loud "whumph!". "Hey! What was that for!?"

"For being narcissistic!" Pyrrha yelled back, a wide smile on her face, "And because I think it's cute when you get all flustered."

"I'm not cute! I'm a man! A real man's man!"

"Sure, says the guy that tries to catch the campus' bunnies and groundhogs."

"They're just so fluffy and irresistible!" Jaune blurted, covering his mouth as he realized how "cute" he sounded, "I mean, I just want to eat them!"

"Okay," Pyrrha cooed, "Whatever you say." She snickered, allowing a soft smile to rest upon her lips. Looking at him now, she was glad he seemed much more like himself. "Thanks for sharing, by the way." Jaune, still rubbing his face, gave her a quizzical look before finally understanding what she meant.

"Y-Yeah, it's no big deal," he said, "Sorry, again, for snapping. I'm not quite sure why I did, but anyway… I don't think I'll ever see her again."

"That's good to hear," Pyrrha replied, "I was just a little… curious, because of what Blake told me about you guys." Jaune's face paled a bit, and he looked at Pyrrha worriedly.

"Uhhhh, wait what? What'd she say about… us?" Jaune stammered, bringing an arm up in defense.

"Oh, well, just how you and Erza were incredibly close, and how things ended just so abruptly." Pyrrha answered, "And… how beat up you were, alongside how she and I share similarities. So I just got a little worried, since it was brought up recently. It wasn't my intention to bring up bad memories."

"Oh, y-yeah, me and Erza, huh?" Jaune sighed in relief as he scratched his arm, "It ended on better terms than she probably told you, that Blake. Always leaving stuff out! First off, she's nothing like you. Secondly, I'm fine, it was no big deal!" Jaune smiled nervously, turning away while Pyrrha took a second to look at the windows. "Remind me to go faunus hunting when you get the chance…" Jaune muttered under his breath to himself as he scratched the top of his head. He looked back up at Pyrrha and beamed as she turned towards him. "So, we gonna eat or what?"

* * *

><p>The Beacon University campus couldn't have hoped for a more beautiful Wednesday. The sun shone bright in the center of the cloudless cerulean sky, and its warm rays gently caressed the bodies of the students below. Unfortunately, most were unable to take advantage of the exceptional weather by tanning or playing recreational sports. It was the week immediately prior to the festival and everyone's schedules were riddled with exams. Their time now dedicated to studying, the whole group, save for Jaune and Adam, sat around a dark mahogany table within the Beacon Grand Library. The library itself matched the brick buildings surrounding it, but boasted many exterior walls covered in shiny copper and a spectacular main entrance adorned with stained glass.<p>

The first three floors were primarily used for collaborative study and leisure; the students there could gather to talk freely, snack, and work on assignments and projects without worry. The fourth and fifth floors were a different story, however. Only those who absolutely needed a book from those sections or those insanely dedicated to their studies were found there. Not only did the bookshelves become labyrinthine, but the tiniest iteration of noise pollution would invite immediate removal by staff. Resolved to stay as far from there as possible, the seven friends stayed on the first floor, grouping themselves up in accordance to classes. It was to ensure a more productive study session, but to those who abhorred studying it proved to be more infuriating than helpful.

"This is dumb, this is dumb, this is dumb," Yang repeated rapidly, her hands firmly grasping the sides of her face. Her fingers spun around her temples in a circular motion, as if massaging her brain would help memorize the mechanics of human metabolism faster. "Can we stop yet?"  
>"No, Yang," Pyrrha replied again through gritted teeth, trying to remain as calm as possible. After over two and a half hours of attempting to teach her best friend biology, it was no understatement to say Pyrrha was ready to kill her. "You have to remain focused. You can't afford to do poorly on this exam!" Yang let out an exhausted groan as her head sunk and hit the table.<p>

"Can we at least take a break?" The blond pleaded, her hands buried within her mane of hair.

"Yeah, Pyrrha," Nora spoke up, "I appreciate the tutoring a ton, but I'm also kind of… brain dead?" She looked across the table to Ren and grinned happily as he nodded to indicate she had used the right term. Pyrrha crossed her arms and sighed, giving the two a shake of her head.

"Fine. Fifteen minutes."

"YESSSS," Yang cheered, springing back to life and whipping out her phone from her pocket.

"I suppose we could also take a break," Weiss offered to her group, which consisted of Ren, Sun and Blake, "This chapter isn't too hard anyway."

"Yes it is," Sun contended, reaching into his backpack and retrieving some snacks he had packed earlier, "Economics is crap."

"Well that's because you don't apply yourself, you slacker." Weiss defended, placing her pen down in front of her matter of factly, "I, for one, find it rather enjoyable."

"I don't find it very difficult either." Ren nudged Sun with his elbow, making the faunus boy jump in his seat.

"That's because you're a ner-…" Sun narrowed his eyes, but was met with an equally challenging glare from Ren. "... you're smart."

"Thanks, Sun." Ren smiled and followed Sun's lead, reaching to the floor and grabbing his thermos from his backpack to sip on its contents. By now everyone in the group had some sort of lunch or snack in front of them, and savored each and every bite and sip as though it were nectar and ambrosia; it had been a long morning and hours since breakfast and their last taste of food.

"Say, where's Adam?" Yang asked, her mouth partially full of the cookie she had just bitten into.

"He got lucky and had his exams last week," Blake answered, wiping her mouth, "So he's been in his room texting me about how much fun he's having not studying." Everyone chuckled a bit, quieting down and returning to their food. Minutes passed, and an awkward silence smothered the seven. Each one knew the question that hung unspoken in the air between them, but none knew how exactly to bring it up. Finally, someone decided to break the silence and address the issue they were all thinking of.

"Sun? Pyrrha? Where's Jaune?" Nora asked, her voice obviously relaying her concern.

"Yeah," Ren added before either of the two in question could respond, "He's been acting quite differently lately. He got breakfast with us once this week so far, and only a couple times last week. Something just seemed off." Sun and Pyrrha looked at one another, both of their expressions mirroring the same look of concern.

"I mean, he seemed fine this morning, actually. I asked him if he was coming to study with us, but he just said no and that he was busy," Sun answered, "I have no clue what happened with him beyond that. We got lunch together on Monday. That's when he was acting the weirdest with me." Pyrrha just sank slightly into her seat.

"He said that he had been 'busy' last Friday night when he came to the room late," Weiss recalled, "He did the same thing the Friday night before that as well. He knows we always spend time together then! What could he possibly be doing?" Pyrrha began zoning out, her mind recounting all the oddities in his behavior. She didn't wish to speak of the subject without Jaune bringing it up first.

"Pyrrha?" The red haired girl snapped out of it at the sound of her name, looking up to meet Blake's questioning amber eyes. "Do you know what's up? You've been spending the most time with him."

"Yeah, what in the world could be so time consuming that he's always busy?" Yang questioned, leaning her cheek on her fist, "I miss the guy. Stop hogging him, Pyrrha." All eyes on Pyrrha, she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"I-I'm not quite sure," Pyrrha said, shrugging, "He always seems just fine when I spent time with him."

"Are you... sure?" Nora asked a bit hesitantly, "When Ren and I spent time with him he wasn't nearly as smiley as he normally is. He didn't even trip or anything!"

"And he didn't crack any of his idiotic jokes when we hung out," Weiss added.

"I-I mean, he was a little on the quiet side… but..." Pyrrha admitted, sitting upright, "but enough about Jaune. We have work to do." Realizing their fifteen minute break was over, the other six gave Pyrrha suspicious looks before begrudgingly returning to their studies. While Pyrrha taught Nora and Yang everything she knew about the upcoming biology exam, her mind began drifting to a different place as she recalled what had happened a week and a half ago.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A week and a half ago..<strong>_

* * *

><p>Pyrrha knocked loudly on the door of Jaune and Sun's shared dorm, excitement in her chest. She had just recently heard of a new Mistralian clothing outlet that had opened in town and was eager to tell Jaune about it, hoping to share a bit of her culture and perhaps even buy matching outfits for the festival. She had thought of simply sending Jaune a text but decided against it. It was a bit frustrating to wait for Jaune to locate his phone and go through the "hassle" of sending a reply text. Besides, Pyrrha always enjoyed finding an excuse to spend time with him.<p>

"Jaune! Ohhhh Jaune! Come out, come out!" Pyrrha sang as she called out to him, blushing and hiding her face when she noticed a random boy down the hall giving her a peculiar look. "O-oh, did you hear that?" The boy just nodded with an amused smirk, turning around and making his way towards the bathroom. Pyrrha exhaled in embarrassment, jumping in surprise as the door suddenly opened in front of her.

"Sup, Nikos!" Sun welcomed with a grin.

"Hi, Sun!" Pyrrha greeted as she looked past Sun and into the room, "Jaune wouldn't happen to be around, would he?"

"No, he left a while ago I'm afraid," Sun revealed apologetically, "Something about the gym or wrestling practice."

"Oh, okay," Pyrrha said, a bit let down, "Well, may I come in? Maybe he'll show up, and I have good news to tell him!"

"Yeah, of course!" Sun stepped to the side, holding the door open for the Mistralian girl as she walked through the doorway. The room wasn't exactly what one would call clean or orderly, but for Sun and Jaune it was impressively tidy. Except for Jaune's desk, whose surface was littered with papers and an assortment of different items. Pyrrha laughed at the concentrated area of messiness, walking over to take a closer look.

"So," Sun began, getting Pyrrha's attention, "What's the good news?"

"A new Mistralian clothing shop opened up in town!" Pyrrha exclaimed, clapping her hands together, "I want to bring Jaune in and make him match my attire for the festival."

"You two are quite the couple," Sun shifted his eyebrows up and down a few times to enhance his statement further, making Pyrrha blush slightly, "Don't mind me, though. I just have a little work to do before I head to the track. Make yourself at home!" With that, the faunus boy leapt up to his bed, returning his attention to the pile of books and papers strewn about in front of him. Unsure of what to do now, Pyrrha resolved her mind towards doing her hopeless boyfriend a favor and cleaning his desk for him.

As she shifted papers around and lined up his pens and pencils neatly in one corner of his desk, a few edges of paper protruding from the center drawer caught her attention. Pyrrha sucked her teeth in mock annoyance, gently opening the drawer to slide the paper out. To her surprise papers lay crumpled, compressed into the shape of a ball. Curious, she laid them out on the desk and carefully smoothed it out. Her eyes widened in shock as she read the words etched upon the first paper's face:

_Dear Jaune,_

_How are you? It's your mom, I got this address from your father. I know we haven't talked in a while, but I miss you dearly. I cannot believe you got into Beacon University! I am so proud of you, and I'm sure your father is too! _

_Things are looking up for me! I have a job interview in Midgar this week, and I couldn't be more excited. It's a low paying job, but I'll take anything I can get at this point. It seems you and your father are doing quite well, and I couldn't be happier! My boy deserves only the best, no girl can ever steal you away from me! You'll always be mine, you can't get away._

_Now, I don't want to be a burden, but this trip to Midgar… honey, it's a little bit too much for me to pay for. So, and I hate to have to do this again, but do you think you could send me some money? I'm your mother after all, don't you want to see your mama get back on her own two feet? I promise you I will not spend this on what I bought the last time you sent money, you have my word! Then, when I have enough saved up, we can finally go on that trip we always talked about. Do you remember? Of course you do._

_Please do me this little favor, Jaune. I really need your help, and I am your mother, so why don't you be a good boy and send a little extra. My address can be found on the envelope, and please send it ASAP! Don't dilly dally, I promise to pay you back along with all the other times!_

_Love, _

_Mama_

The letter was dated for the Monday after Pyrrha's fight with Cinder. Folding the letter forward she noticed the couple of pages behind it were all responses written by Jaune, drafts more or less agreeing to help. Pyrrha furrowed her brow in angry confusion, and sudden wave of resentment welling inside her chest. She read the letter a few more times, being careful to make sure Sun wasn't paying attention to what she was doing.

'_So, this was the reason he acted so weird before we spoke about Erza…" _She concluded, shaking her head.

'_After all she did. After all Jaune had said about her, she has the audacity to ask him for financial help? There's not even an apology in here. Nothing about him, really, and yet… he still sent her money.' _She could feel shivers down her spine and gripped the edge of the desk tightly.

'_Jaune...'_

Pyrrha struggled to understand the situation, trying desperately to understand his motives. She knew the only way she would truly figure it out would be to hear it from him, but there was no way she could ever ask him about it. It felt like an extreme invasion of his privacy, and she didn't want to hurt him again. As quickly as she could, Pyrrha did her best to return the letters to their original crumpled state before placing them back within the desk. She then leaned across the desk, arms outstretched as she shook her head sorrowfully.

'_How could a mother do this to her son?'_

* * *

><p>From that moment, Pyrrha knew she needed to help and support Jaune in anyway she could. Even if it meant letting him become fairly distant from the rest of them. She didn't like it, but Pyrrha knew how hard it must be on him and that he may need the space to cope. Drowning him in her affections might only make matters worse for Jaune, especially after noticing how quiet he had gradually become during their time together.<p>

Pyrrha pushed the thoughts away, focusing on being the helpful and informative biology tutor the table needed. Answering the unending stream of questions form Yang and Nora wore Pyrrha out faster than she anticipated. After only an hour and a half, Pyrrha looked over hopelessly at her fellow tutor Weiss as Sun and Yang groaned in agony.

"I guess you guys have earned another break." Sun and Yang threw their hands up with a mighty cheer, the words prompted the others let out a small sigh of relief. Most pulled any leftover snacks or, in Ren's case, energy drinks out and relaxed. It didn't take long before Sun began causing trouble, and soon he had started a heated debate with Weiss arguing the superior health benefits of chocolate as opposed to strawberries. The white haired girl was tricked into engaging him in the pointless argument, egged on by both Nora and Yang while the other three observed with crossed arms as the asinine dispute escalate.

"YEAH, SNOW WHITE?" Sun yelled, jumping onto his chair and pointing down at Weiss, "I KNOW JUST WHO CAN SETTLE THIS!" He plucked his cell phone from his pocket using his tail, quickly dialing a number before putting the call on speaker phone. It only took a few iterations the dial tone before the other line picked up and a familiar voice answered.

"Hey, Sun, what's up?" Jaune asked, his voice perking everyone up and raising their spirits. Pyrrha felt relieved, knowing the fact he had decided to answer the call meant he was feeling alright.

"Can you please tell 'ice-tray' here that chocolate is healthier than dumb strawberries?" Sun requested, folding his arms and sticking his tongue out at Weiss in a preemptive display of his triumph over her. The other line was silent for a few moments, and the seven waited with bated breath for his response.

" … It obviously is. Weiss, I'm sorry, please don't hurt m-"

"Thanks, boy!" Sun thanked happily, ending the call and shooting a smug look at Weiss. "Sucks to suck."

"Shut up, dolt!" Weiss fired back, huffing and turning to eat her fruit. Everyone wore smiles, feeling as though Jaune's joke was a breath of fresh air.

"He sounds better," Ren commented with a nod "A lot less dreary and monotonous than when Nora and I last saw him."

"Seriously, I didn't think he'd pick up!" Sun confessed, "but he's a smart man and knows when he's needed." Sun felt a soft tap on the back of his head, realizing Weiss had just thrown a berry at him. "I usually don't fight girls, but Weiss, I'll fight you if I have to."

"Sit the hell down," Yang barked, making Sun jump in fear and immediately follow her orders, "And yeah, sounds like ol' Jauney is back! He hasn't had that tone all week!"

"Did you say something to him recently, Pyrrha? Maybe this morning?" Nora interrogated, leaning in close to Pyrrha, "Did you smooooch him?"

"I did smooch him this morning, yes Nora," Pyrrha chuckled, "but aside from that I've just been giving him his space."

"Normally I'd say that was a good call," Blake said, "but knowing Jaune for as long as I have…"

"He probably would have wanted you to be around more, Pyrrha." Sun added, his tone serious.

"W-What do you mean?" Pyrrha stammered, nervousness creeping up her spine, "I was present!"

"How present is present?" Sun asked, tilting his head a bit.

"Well, I saw him for a little bit just about every day, although it wasn't nearly as much time as we usually spend together... he's just been so busy, or so he says… a-and this week I decided I'd let him be," Pyrrha answered, "I thought he was getting annoyed by me… is that bad?"

"Oh, Pyrrha," Nora tsked, jumping into the conversation, "Never leave a man in his time of need! Just ask Ren!" Ren looked up from his snacks, his mouth full. He shook his head in disagreement.

"I think that was a good call," Ren stated, "We had actually asked him about you at breakfast yesterday…" Pyrrha raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Did you now?" Pyrrha responded, "Did he say… anything I should be aware of?"

"Yeah," Nora replied, "He said you've been the most supportive and caring person he's ever… met…" Nora's voice trailed off as she watched Pyrrha's smile grow, her eyes sparkling in happiness as her gaze drifted away from them. Nora sighed, reaching into her purse before grumpily placing five lien in Ren's open palm. "He also told us not to tell you that, because this would happen… I bet that it wouldn't happen, so thanks for nothing Pyrrha." The group laughed at Nora's remark, making Pyrrha shrug shamelessly.

"He also said he's worried that you're fed up with him." Ren stated suddenly, bringing Pyrrha back down to earth. "Apparently he thinks you're starting to distance yourself because of how busy he's been." Pyrrha brought a hand up to cover her face, then proceeded to slam her head onto the desk in frustration with a loud exasperated sigh. Sun scratched his head as he brought up his hand, extending a single finger.

"Told ya. He's a needy one."

"Are you going to continue giving him space, then?" Blake posed, resting her head on her palm. Pyrrha looked back up and chuckled, giving the table a sinister smile as she pulled out her phone and began to text the boy in question.

"No, unfortunately for him he has to spar with me tonight. He'll just have to see how NON-fed up I am with him." The entire table felt a shiver go down their spines, hoping and praying Jaune had enjoyed his time off.

* * *

><p>Jaune leaned against the shower wall, supporting himself on his forehead; at the moment he wasn't too worried about the shower's communal nature and questionable cleanliness. Sparring with Pyrrha had done a serious number on him, and all he cared about now was letting the hot water envelop him and soothe his physical and mental exhaustion.<p>

'_You'd think she would take it easy on me,' _Jaune thought, huffing as he grinned slightly, '_Then again I did tell her not to hold back., and in all honestly she probably did hold back considering she was smiling the whole damn time...'_

Jaune flexed and rotated his shoulders, feeling the soreness of his traps and deltoids under the steady stream of water. He groaned in slight discomfort, rubbing his muscles as he let his thoughts swirl. Today had been much better for him than most, but that wasn't exactly much of a feat. Between Cinder's lingering threat and his mother's sudden request, Jaune had been dealing with a lot of mental stress the past couple of weeks. As much as he wanted to, Jaune could never bring himself to hate and abandon his mother; whenever he tried to cut his ties with her, the nostalgia would return and all he'd be able to remember were the good memories of her. Looking at everyone else who had been fortunate to have a mother growing up, half of Jaune could never shake his dream of one day being able to reconcile with her. At the same time, the other half of him hoped she'd just disappear entirely. His frustration bubbled up again, and he struck the wall with his fist; Jaune winced briefly as sharp pain shot through the nerves on his hand. He hung his head low and remained in that position, forcing his mind to lose itself in the sound of the water that cascaded around his head.

'_Having faith in other people? Trusting someone not to hurt you? How idiotic is that? __Cinder was right__.' _Jaune used his other hand to rub his face, moving up to his hair. With a heated sigh he shook his head. '_I don't need them... any of them. __They're useless to me, I should just push them all away__.'_

His shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes, listening to the noise of the water intensify.

_'I don't need them. I can do just fine on my own. My mom can fend for herself, and my friends... we'll only end up hurting one another. It's the nature of human relationship to cause pain. __They're all a bunch of babysitting bastards.'_

His thoughts registered to himself, and he realized what it was he was saying. He grit his teeth, tensing his body in self-loathing.

_'__Damn hypocrite. Always talking about friendship, when I'm nothing but a selfish loner._ _I know I'm the biggest bastard of all__. No… I'm the one no one needs. I'm worthless, not them. Pyrrha will leave me because of it. I can already see her distancing herself. The others, they're only hanging around because of some misplaced sense of pity I'm sure. I'm not good enough for their kindness.'_

Jaune found himself rationalizing his thoughts once more, understanding the gravity of the precipice he now stood upon. With a loud grunt he slapped his face a few times, ruffling his hair in the water. He took a few deep breaths, calming himself to center his mind. As he collected himself he reached for his shampoo and began to lather it into his hair. The fresh clean scent revitalized him, allowing him to clear his head.

_'What am I going on about?'_ he scolded internally, _'Jeez, cut the crap already. You sound ridiculous. I protect them, and they protect me. If they thought of me in such a way, they would've left already. I've got nothing to fear.'_ Jaune stuck his head back into the flowing water to rinse his hair out. He straightened himself, his brow furrowing slightly as the small nugget of doubt that remained festered quietly.

'_Right?'_

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Here's to a generation scared and always wondering why<strong>_

_**Instead of playing doctor, we play shoot each other and die**_

_**Instead of ring around the Rosie, we play hide from Mommy**_

_**'Cause Mommy's been drinking again and we don't want to get beat"**_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: With my final exams coming up, I won't be working on this until Mid-May-ish. So, thought we'd make a long chapter to make up for it. We tried to make everything as perfect as we could. Jaune's in trouble, rut roh. **

**STORM'S BREWING, HEADS UP.**


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